Cooking in Socks

Homemade Easy Horchata

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 01 Jun 2017 17:26:00 +0000

1 cup uncooked white long-grain rice

3 cups warm water

1 T cinnamon

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup vanilla almond milk

1. Place the rice, almond milk, cinnamon and warm water in a blender and blend on high for 2 minutes until the rice begins to break up.
2. Let the mixture sit covered in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
3. Strain the liquid through several layers of cheesecloth over a fine mesh strainer into a bowl.

4. Stir the milk, vanilla, and sugar into the rice water.
5. Chill, stir, and serve the horchata over ice with cinnamon sticks as stirrers.

Sorry for the long delay between posts, we have been helping our friends refinish the floors in their new house and time got away from me. But now I'm back online and planing out some yummy meals!

Recently I was beginning to feel a bit homesick for food and drinks from my hometown in Arizona... Really just good Mexican food, Mario and I would go to our favorite mexican food shop and order some yummy burritos and a large glass of horchata to share.

So after much research and two batches of horchata to really make this recipe perfect. We sipped on this delicious rice drink that taste pretty close to what we loved back in Tucson. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as Mario and I do. It's on my list of summers drinks that I'm planing on making a lot this summer

Cucumber Strawberry Salad with Honey and Balsamic Vinegar Dressing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 04 May 2017 16:38:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 pint strawberries, sliced
1 large cucumbers sliced in circles
2 Tablespoons Honey
1 1/2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar dressing

Directions:

Wash and slice cucumber into circles (slice again if you would like)

Wash and cut strawberries into circles as well and arrange in a bowl.

Mix honey and Balsamic Vinegar dressing together adding more or less depending on your taste

Drizzle over your salad and enjoy!

This salad is amazing! Its been so hot and muggy here in Portland its been hard to turn the oven or stove on to add to the heat so this is a great salad to eat when it gets hot!

Tabbouleh

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 00:16:00 +0000

1 cup bulgur
1 cup boiling water
1 sweet red onion (about a cup when finely diced)
2 to 3 scallions (diced)
1 small bunch of chives (diced)
1 English cucumber (quartered)
1 to 2 cups cherry tomatoes (diced)
1 cup of Italian parsley (about 1 bunch
A little under 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
mint (about a quarter cup once minced)
1/4 teaspoon back pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin

Place bulgur in a large bowl. Cover with boiled water. Let stand for one hour and drain water if any water remains. While bulgur is soaking, finely dice the onion, mince scallions & chives. Quarter the cherry tomatoes, mince the parsley and mint. After bulgur has soaked for an hour, add lemon juice, olive juice, cumin, salt and pepper to the bulgur and mix. Then fold in the remaining ingredients chill and enjoy! Taste and adjust seasoning as you see fit!

*You can also use quinoa instead of bulgur and I also like adding feta cheese to this, throw in some grilled chicken and eat it in a pita pocket! Recipe inspired by Alexandracooks.com

Zucchini, Black Bean & Quinoa Skillet

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 19:06:00 +0000

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Coconut Oil
1-1/2 cups quartered lengthwise, sliced zucchini
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1 cup corn
1 can Whole Black Beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz each) Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes with Garlic, undrained
1 cup cooked Quinoa

Directions

Cook Quinoa according to package directions.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini and bell pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans, corn & undrained tomatoes. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Add quinoa; stir well. Cover; remove from heat and let stand 7-10 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Note: I added some red pepper flakes to my bowl to spice it up a bit and I highly recommend it. You can also melt cheese over top but I left it out because I have slowing cutting back on my dairy intake :)

Caprese Sandwich on Ciabatta Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 22:20:00 +0000

Caprese Sandwich on Ciabatta Bread

Fresh ciabatta bead
1 fresh ripe tomato, sliced
1 ball fresh mozzarella, sliced
1 handful fresh basil leaves
1 Tablespoon Homemade or prepared basil pesto
Balsamic vinegar

Slice the roll in half and spread the tablespoon of pesto over the two half's of bread top with the sliced mozzarella. Place on baking sheet in the oven pre-set for 400 degrees to toast the bread and melt the cheese. After the cheese has melted take the rolls out of the oven and place the fresh basil leaves on top of the cheese, then add the sliced tomatoes & sprinkle with the balsamic vinegar. Close the sandwich with the other half of the roll and enjoy!.

I am taking a food photography lighting class this month so this was my first homework assignment using only available lighting which is what I use for all of my food photography. I'm looking forward to learning how to use studio lighting to light food. I do enjoy using available lighting though. I hope you enjoy this I love the simplicity of this sandwich.

Taco Salad In A Jar!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 06 Feb 2014 00:05:00 +0000

Hello Everyone!! I'm back! I took a break over the holidays because of working more and the sun setting at 4pm when I got off of work which left me with no sunlight to take photos Ha!

Plus to be honest I wasn't feeling very inspired and had been kinda down. But I'm working more on being healthy which means making different food then usual!

I have been trying to eat more salads so I made it my goal this week to eat more then one salad a week.

I had been hearing about these salads in jars and I thought I'd try my hand at making one. So here is my version of a taco salad!

Taco Salad

1 lb. of lean ground beef

1 can of corn (drained)

1 can of black beans (drained)

1 bag of lettuce

1 handful of cherry tomatoes (I cut them into quarters)

Pico de gallo salsa

Directions:

In a large skillet add ground beef and cook while breaking it up with a spoon till it's browned and fully cooked, then season with your favorite taco seasoning. I used a mix that I made myself:

1 tsp ground cumin

1tsp onion powder

1 tsp white sugar

1 T chili powder

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1/2 tsp salt

After adding the taco seasoning let the meat cool down. While waiting for the meat to cool chop up the lettuce and set aside. Take a glass jar, (I used a Mason jar I just bought) and begin layering the ingredients. From my research everyone says to add your liquids first (ie: salsa)

This was my layering:

Salsa

Ground beef

Black beans

Corn

Tomatoes

Lettuce

Any way, I hope you like this as much as I did!!

Oh, when you do eat this: you will want to dump it out on a plate or bowl. I'm planing on taking one to work tomorrow and bringing a bowl. :)

Chicken White Bean Kale Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 20:44:00 +0000

- Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 large can cannellini beans
- 1 large can of black beans
- 8 c. low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 bunch kale leaves, torn into 2-inch pieces
- kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan add chicken and cook, until cooked through
Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.
Move chicken and garlic to a large pot, add the beans, broth, and tomatoes and their liquid and bring to a boil.
Add the kale and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve with a nice crusty homemade bread!

Well, winter is officially here in Portland Oregon, it's currently 21 degrees in and we had a little bit of snow the other day!! I've been wearing multiple layers trying to stay warm! The days have been shorter which is why I haven't updated recently, by the time I get home from work it's dark and I can't take photos! I made this for Mario after he got off of work. It was perfect for a cold nice and we had left overs.

I modified this recipe that I found on Real Simple: Bean and Chicken Sausage stew Because I couldn't find any chicken sausage. The next time I make this I want to add some rice to it to make it go even further!

Spicy Sausage Noodle Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 23:50:00 +0000

Ingredients:

2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 pound hot Italian sausage
56 ounces stewed tomatoes
32 ounces chicken broth (extra to thin it out)
2 Tbs fresh basil chopped or 1 and 1/2 Tbs dried basil
2 cups dried pasta of your choice (I used macaroni)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, then add the onions. Cook the onions uncovered until translucent about 5 minutes. Crumble the sausage into the pan and continue cooking until browned. Add the tomatoes and stir until combined. When the soup begins to boil, add the chicken stock. Once boiling, stir in the dried pasta. Allow the soup to come back to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat. Add the chopped basil, salt & pepper. Continue to cook the soup until the pasta is al dente. Then remove from the heat and allow to cool (the pasta will continue to cook and soften up in the hot soup). One thing about this soup is that the pasta soaks up a lot of the liquid, you can heat up a couple cups of chicken broth and add it later to make it more soup like :)

Sorry about the hiatuses, We have been going through a lot of job and life changes and have been really having to budget our food so we have been eating the basics and I've been recycling my recipes. But I needed to try something new. So! this is quite tasty, Mario and I have been stealing spoonfuls from the pot this afternoon so this will be my dinner tonight.

Miso Noodle Soup to go!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 16 Sep 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Hello friends! I felt like making something new for the week! After starting my full time job this past year it has been hard for me to be consistent in my postings (kinda worn out at the end of the day!) Plus its hard to take photos of food when it's dark outside!

But now that it is spring time the sun is setting later and not I have some more sunlight to take photos after I cook! I've been eating a lot of soup for lunch at my desk job so I am trying to adding a little variety to my lunches and be healthy. I saw this recipe at The Londoner and thought I would love to make a version of that. I modified it slightly but it is quote tasty!

Any A jar with clamp (I used a 16oz jar)

1 package of dry Yakisoba Noodles handful of dried noodles

1 small handful of mixed asian veg (I used a broccoli cabbage slaw)

1 cooked chicken breast / cooked shrimp / tofu

Small handful of bean sprouts

4 shiitake mushrooms (sliced)

1 scallion (diced)

1/4-1/2 tsp hot sauce (I like garlic chili sauce)

1tsp miso paste

1tsp bouillon/stock powder (Check and make sure it has no MSG)

1tbsp soy sauce

Cook noodles according to package and divide into jars. (make sure you flatten them out so you can add all the other goodies to the jar!)

In a small bowl mix together your soy sauce, miso, bouillon and as much hot sauce as you fancy (make sure you add just add even just a little, it gives the soup a great bite!)

Add diced cooked chicken, mushrooms, scallions and slaw onto the bed of noodles. (I stuffed as much veggies in as I could)

Add boiling water up to the next of the jar, seal the top and watch the water turn into the that delicious broth. After a few minutes pop open that lid and enjoy!

Easy Baked Chicken Egg Rolls (makes about 8)

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 20:54:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 package of egg roll wraps
1 egg
2 cups cole slaw
1 large chicken breast
1/2 inch fresh ginger root (grated)
Peanut Oil
ginger powder
garlic powder
Some salt and pepper

Directions:

Take one piece of chicken and use a meat mallet to tenderize the chicken, place in a skillet. lightly sprinkle powdered ginger and pepper over chicken and fully cook through. While chicken is cooking

Take two cups of cole slaw and mix with a 1/2 inch of raw ginger grated. Add a couple of shakes of garlic powder into the cole slaw and mix together. After chicken is done cut into small pieces and combine with cole slaw and add some salt and pepper.

Add 1 Tbs of peanut oil to coleslaw and place into food processor and blend to look a bit like this

This is how you fold a egg roll. If you want to watch a video here is a link to one way to do that: How to fold a egg roll or you can follow my photos! Take one piece of the egg roll wrap and place it on a cutting board in the shape of a diamond

Scoop two heaping Tablespoons of the mixture and place it in the middle of the egg roll wrap

Fold the top of the wrap over the mound of delicious filling

Fold in the two sides to look like an upside down envelope

Fold the last part up to complete the wrap dip finger or a pastry brush like I used in the egg so you can coat the edges and seal everything together

Place of a greased baking sheet. Using pastry brush lightly coat tops with peanut oil for that nice golden brown look.

Bake for 10 minutes on one side and then 3-4 minutes on the other side just to give it a nice crispiness and tada!!! all done!!!

My wonderfully hubby took charge and make this while I typed down what he was doing so he takes the credit for this recipe. I'm sorry for not having any measurements for some things because when he cooks he doesn't measure out anything, it's just a dash of that, a pinch of that and a handful of that haha

Hoisin Rice Noodles with Chicken, Shrimp or Tofu

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 03:06:00 +0000

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breast or 1 1/2 lbs of shrimp
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons peanut butter
12 ounces rice noodles

1 bag of stir fry vegetables

Directions

Prepare the rice noodles according to package directions by soaking in hot water.

To make the sauce, whisk together the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, honey, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, ginger, hoisin and peanut butter. Set aside.

Cut up chicken in bite size pieces and season both sides with salt and pepper. After chicken is done cooking put onto a plate and set aside.

While chicken is cooking steam vegetables and set aside

Drain the noodles and add them to the hot skillet with the rest of the sauce. Cook over medium heat, tossing the noodles with the sauce, about 3-4 minutes until the noodles have soaked up a lot of the sauce and become even more tender. Add the chicken and heat through.

Place chicken and noodles and vegetables in a separate bowels, Serve together and enjoy!

This dish has a lot of peanut flavor so if you want a lighter peanut flavor (Like my husband does) add 2 Tps peanut butter. I loved this dish and it makes a lot so it's great for leftovers!

I modified this recipe a little bit from Mels Kitchen Cafe because I didn't have all the ingredients on hand. But when I have shrimp on hand I would love to follow her original recipe!

Bruschetta Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 04 Aug 2013 20:45:00 +0000

Ingredients

1/3 cup flour

1 eggs, beaten

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup crushed garlic croutons

1 tablespoon butter, melt it

2 tomatoes or 1/2 carton of grape tomatoes

3 tablespoons minced fresh basil (or 1/2 Tbs dry basil)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt & pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven on 375 degrees and grease 9×13 baking dish

Put flour & beaten eggs in separate bowls

Dip chicken into flour and then in eggs, place into a greesed baking dish

Mix parmesan cheese, crushed croutons, & melted butter then sprinkle on chicken

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until top is browned and chicken is cooked through

Chop tomatoes and combine with basil, garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper

Spoon mixture over chicken, and return to oven for 5-7 minutes or until tomato mixture is heated through

Salami Tortellini Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 31 Jul 2013 18:19:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1/2 cup very thinly sliced red onions

1 (9-ounce) package cheese or spinach tortellini, cooked and drained

4 ounces Genoa salami, sliced into thin strips

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup parsley

Balsamic vinegar salad dressing

salt & pepper

Directions:

Soak diced red onions in a small bowl of ice water for 10 minutes. Drain.

In a large bowl, combine the onions, cooked tortellini, bell pepper, and salami. Lightly toss pasta until combined. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar salad dressing. (I just eyeballed this part) Lightly season with salt, and pepper if necessary. Stir in chopped parsley just before serving.

I ended up eating all of this since my hubby doesn't like bell peppers but really enjoyed this pasta salad. I used a white wine salami that I bought at World Market. I think the next time I try this recipe I would use spinach tortellini for more flavor!

Spicy Shrimp Pasta

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 27 Jul 2013 03:12:00 +0000

Ingredients:

8 oz. Linguini pasta
1 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic
½ lb. frozen or fresh shrimp
1 15. oz. can diced tomatoes (undrained)
¼ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp salt
Pepper to taste
Handful fresh parsley

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the pasta and follow directions on package. Drain the pasta in a colander. While the pasta is cooking, add the olive oil and butter to a large skillet and place over medium heat. Mince the garlic while butter melts. Rinse the shrimp with cool water and defrost. Add the shrimp, minced garlic, salt, and pepper to the skillet and saute the shrimp and garlic for about 3-5 minutes.

Remove the shrimp from the skillet and set aside. Add the can of diced tomatoes to the skillet, along with the chili powder. Stir to combine and let tomatoes simmer over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the cooked pasta and shrimp back to the skillet. Roughly chop a handful of parsley leaves and sprinkle over top before serving.

If you are looking for a meal on a budget this is a really good one. We have been working on a food budget because my husband and I are penny pinching right now so my goal is to make recipes that aren't very expensive to make but still yummy. (Also can have some leftovers for the next day) This dinner was cheap and I really only had to buy the parsley and shrimp since I had everything else on hand. So I hope you enjoy this recipe, I want to make this with chicken instead of shrimp and try that!

Yummy Honey Soy Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 19:39:00 +0000

Ingredients

1 1/2 – 2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
5 tbsp. honey
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 8×8″ pan with 2 layers of tin foil. The honey is VERY VERY sticky and if you want a easy clean up and not spend forever cleaning your pan I would use foil. In small bowl, whisk together vegetable oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, ground ginger, and pepper.

Place the chicken thighs in the foil layered pan then pour the mixture on top of it. Turn the chicken around and make sure it gets all coated. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes, checking once in a while to make sure the tops are not browning too quickly.

Remove from oven and let chicken sit for 5 minutes then transfer to a plate. Immediately after plating chicken, pour the delicious sauce over top of chicken. I served mine with a mixed rice and drizzled the sauce over the rice as well, It’s delicious so you want all the sauce you can get!

Asian Quinoa Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 01:09:00 +0000

Hello Everyone! Sorry for my absence Ive been working two jobs and I've been a lazy cook, to tired to try anything new lol. But my life is normalizing again! Instead of bouncing between my retail job and my office job I was hired as full time at my new office job so now I have a wonderful 9-5 day! Now I'm trying to figure out cheap and quick meals to take to work that will keep me full. I now have an office job where I can get up and down and munch on things during the day so my goal is to be healthy with my lunch and snack choices.

I have been wanting to try and cook with quinoa since I had success baking with it in my Cinnamon Quinoa Bake I thought I would face my fear of Quinoa and make something tasty. I had tried making another quinoa salad and it went horribly and I have been shying away from it. It was tasteless and ick. But this one looked amazing! I found the recipe on Two Peas and their Pod website and loved the fun colors. I modified the recipe slightly because I couldn't find bagged red cabbage or carrots for some reason and I didn't want to have leftover salad bits. Anyway... I also added more GINGER! because ginger is amazing. I recommend using grated ginger. I forgot to pick up some fresh ginger and just used powdered ginger which was good, but not as good as the real deal.

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa (I used a rainbow variety for some fun color)
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 & 1/2 cup chopped cabbage (I used a mixed bag of white/red cabbage, carrots slaw)
1 cup shelled and cooked edamame (Or more if your like me and love edamame)
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup diced cucumber

For the dressing:

1/4 cup lite soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or a little bit more... like I did)
Salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Add water, quinoa, and salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 15-30 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

2. Place the quinoa in a large bowl and let cool. (I must emphasize large, I used a medium size bowl and had to switch to my largest bowl so I could have room to mix everything together.)

3. While it is cooling cut up red pepper & cucumber. Once all your ingredients are chopped up add the cabbage mixture and remaining veggies to the bowl.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, green onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, ginger, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

5. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine.

The salad is good served at room temperature or chilled. I personally like it chilled!

Let me know what you think and if you made changes to it! I'd love to hear what you did!

Also, I wanted to share this silly picture of my kitten Stanley making sure the food looked ok enough to take photos of. After this he promptly started chewing on my white reflector :)

Tortellini Greek Summer Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 23 Jun 2013 20:31:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 (20 ounce) package refrigerated spinach and cheese tortellini

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half

1 large cucumber, chopped

1 can olives, chopped

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

3/4 cup crumbled tomato and basel feta cheese

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Drain the tortellini and rinse with cold water (set aside) Place the tortellini in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, olives, cucumber, onion, and feta cheese. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir until fully coated. You can eat it right away or chill it and enjoy!

This recipe makes about 6 servings so it's great for leftovers! I modified the original recipe a bit by using different olives feta and type of tortellini. I got this recipe from Two Peas And Their Pod a site that I love!! It's nice to see other couples cooking in the kitchen and enjoying being together.

Mario and I made this recipe together which was fun because we haven't had a chance to cook together since he got his new job and works 40+ hours a week now so I don't see him that much. But we will try and cook together when we can! I hope you enjoy this recipe I think it will be great to pack for a lunch for work and you don't need to heat it up :)

Udon Soup With Vegetables

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:58:00 +0000

Ingredients

1 package fresh udon noodles
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1/2 cup snow peas
1/2 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms

1/2 cup green onions

2 tablespoons miso paste

Directions:

1. Cook the udon noodles according to the package directions, drain and set aside. In a large saucepan, bring the stock to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium and add the carrots and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the snow peas and cook until slightly tender about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, cook for 30 seconds and remove from the heat.

Spoon the miso in a bowl and add a ladleful of hot broth. Whisk until the miso is completely dissolved, then pour the miso mixture into the pot with the soup. Do not boil the soup with the miso, because the miso will become gritty. Stir in the noodles and the green onions

My husband and I have been sick for the past 6 days... yes.. 6 days, I can't remember a time Ive been sick for so long. All we have eaten is the same soup and I needed a change so I decided to make this soup! I have made udon soup for year but this is the first time that I can happily say that this recipe is the one that I am most pleased with. The miso is strong enough to taste and the noodles aren't soggy and the snow peas burst with flavor when you bite into them. I like my soup with a strong miso flavor so if you want to start off with 1 Tbs of miso and see how it taste feel free to modify it to suit your taste buds! I hope you like this soup as much as I do :)

Black Bean Chili

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 02:45:00 +0000

1 lb ground beef
1/2 large onion (diced)
1 tbs garlic powder
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can corn
2 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs ground cumin
2 Tbs white sugar
1 Tbs salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a skillet lightly brown ground beef and saute onion until the onion is translucent, drain liquid. Add tomatoes, diced tomatoes with chili peppers, tomato sauce, water, kidney beans, pinto beans, chili powder, cumin, sugar, salt, pepper and cook for 30 minutes

I love chili and I don't care what part of the year I eat it in, the weather can be hot or cold it doesn't matter. This chili has a nice little bite to it and the longer you let it still the more flavor you will get. We made my favorite cornbread (marie callender cornbread mix) it's the only mix that I will eat. Mario and I polished off the pot of chili in two days :) We always have grand plans to make enough to freeze for later but we get hungry and it has yet to happen haha

Thai Coconut Curry With Shrimp Instant Noodles

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 00:23:00 +0000

Ingredients:

8 teaspoons chicken base

4 teaspoons brown sugar

4 teaspoons red curry paste (see note above)

1/2 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce (more or less to taste)

4 teaspoons fish sauce

16 to 20 to 30 medium cooked shrimp

1 cup thinly sliced button or shiitake mushrooms

1 cup coconut milk

4 small nests rice noodles or pre-cooked ramen or Italian pasta (see note above)

1 cup thinly sliced scallions

1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl add chicken base, curry paste, sugar, chili-garlic sauce, shrimp, fish sauce, mushrooms, coconut milk. Whisk away!

Put the noodles in 4 resealable glass jars. (I put them in dry, it took a little longer for them to soften even when adding boiling water so you may want to boil some water and soften them up before you put them in the jar!)Divide scallions and lime wedges between 4 small zipper-lock bags and seal bags (You can refrigerate for up to 4 days.)

When ready to serve add boiling water to the top of the jar. Seal jar and let sit 2 minutes. Open jar, stir in scallions, squeeze with lime, and serve!

I found this recipe on SeriousEats.com!I wanted to make this awesome to go lunch to take to work. I added a lot more mushrooms and shrimp then the recipe calls for because, well I love shrimp! and I wanted to bulk it up a little but more! I think next time I make this I will add some more chili-garlic sauce. But since this was the first time I was tentative with my spiciness! So have fun when you make this and let me know what you add or change to this! Maybe bamboo shoots? This will be be a fun recipe to build on!

Espresso Chocolate Chip Shortbread

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:04:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp instant espresso powder (I used Medaglia D’Oro)

1 Tbsp boiling water

8 oz. unsalted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped OR 3/4 cup store-bought mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Part 1
Dissolve espresso powder in boiling water. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Beat butter and confectioners’ sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth. Beat in vanilla and espresso, then reduce mixer speed to low and add flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. Don’t work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. Fold in the chopped chocolate or chips with a sturdy rubber spatula. Using the spatula, transfer dough to a gallon-size zip-loc bag. Put bag on a flat surface, leaving the top open, and roll the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so it doesn’t cause creases. (you can always use your hands to smooth out the creases) When you get the right size and thickness, seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days. (I kept them in the freezer overnight)

Part 2
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Put the plastic bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough out onto the board (discard the bag) and, using a ruler as a guide and a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares. Transfer the squares to the baking sheets. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes The shortbreads will be very pale–they shouldn’t take on much color. Transfer the cookies to a rack. If you’d like, dust the cookies with confectioners’ sugar while they are still hot. Cool the cookies to room temperature before serving. Makes about 3 dozen depending on how you cut them.

Churro Cheesecake Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:18:00 +0000

Ingredients:
2 cans (oz. each) Pillsbury Crescent Dinner Rolls (I use butter flake kind)

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup sugar, divided
3 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a hand mixer beat together the 1 Tbs cinnamon, cream cheese, vanilla, egg, and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth.

In a separate small bowl mix together the rest of the sugar (1/2 cup) and 2 tablespoons cinnamon. Set aside.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and sprinkle 1/4 cup (or half) of your cinnamon sugar mixture evenly into the bottom of the 9x13.

On a piece of parchment paper, roll out the first crescent dinner roll dough into a big 9x13 rectangle and press the seams together so the dough is completely sealed. If possible, try to peal and lift the whole piece of crescent dinner roll and lay it in the bottom of the pan. I split it into two pieces and lined the pan and then sealed the two slices together.

Spread the cheesecake mixture evenly on top of the dough and unroll the other can of crescent dough and place on top also making sure that the seams are completely sealed. (You can roll the crescent dinner roll out with a rolling pin to make sure it will cover the top.)

Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/4 cup of cinnamon sugar mixture and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

These are belly bombs and oh so yummy! I threw some chocolate chips on my plate because who doesn't love tiny chocolate chips with cheesecake!? I told my husband to remind me to only make one dessert a week because I made two desserts in one day and now we have an abundance of desserts in the house now that I have to move :)

(I found this recipe from Oh Bite It and the only addition I made to the recipe was adding more cinnamon to the cream cheese spread and a little bit more vanilla!)

Cinnamon Quinoa Bake

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:17:00 +0000

Ingredients:

3 cups of cooked and cooled quinoa

4 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup almond milk

1/3 cup maple syrup optional

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF and place the cooked quinoa in a mixing bowl. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with lightly greased parchment paper. (I actually forgot to grease the paper but it turned out fine)

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, almond milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon until thoroughly combined. Add maple syrup and stir.

Add egg mixture to cooked and cooled quinoa. Stir to combine. Pour into the parchment-lined baking dish and evenly spread.

Bake for 30 minutes until set and golden. (I used a toothpick to poke it. The cooking time may vary depending on what type of milk you use ie: soy vs almond milk) Using parchment paper, remove bake from pan and place on a cooling rack. Cool completely and cut into squares. Serve with a dollop of your favorite spread! I topped mine with some local Oregon strawberry jam. I can't wait for strawberry picking season, Mario and I want to learn how to make strawberry jam someday, and if we do attempt it I will post the outcome!

Sweet Blackberry Asian Chicken Wings

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:27:00 +0000

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Chinese 5-Spice or other Asian spice blend
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup blackberry and black currant preserve
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 1/2 pounds chicken wings
Toasted Sesame Seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Rinse wings and pat dry. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with vegetable oil and spice blend until well coated. Place wings on baking racks in a single layer

Bake, rotating half-way through, until fully cooked, 30 minutes. Remove wings from oven and transfer to a large bowl.

Stir together hoisin and blackberry jam in a small saucepot over medium-low heat until warm. (You can add more or less of hoisin sauce or jam to taste)

Drizzle wings with sauce, tossing until well coated, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and enjoy!!

Mario and I have made these two times now. The first time we made them I was in a rush, starving and had no idea how to photograph wings.... So Mario told me that we could make them again so we did and we had fun putting this photo shoot together :)

Peanut Butter Bites

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 10 May 2013 22:38:00 +0000

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup butter (melted)

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 (11 oz) bag milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, except chocolate chips in a bowl. Stir until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Pour peanut butter mixture into a 9x13 pan. chill the peanut butter base for 20 minutes.

Melt chocolate chips in the microwave (at 50% power!!) in 30 second increments until melted. Stir chocolate and pour over the peanut butter mixture. Spread chocolate with a spatula. Freeze and cut into bite size pieces!

These taste just like reese's peanut butter cups! These are best eaten frozen not only because it's summer and everything cold is better when it's hot. One thing that I must emphasize if you use the microwave to melt the chocolate is to set the microwave to 50%. I ruined a bag of chocolate by scorching it. Oops! Oh well. You are going to love these peanut butter bites!