Pecan Pie

Continuing with the dessert theme; I made a Pecan Pie for Thanksgiving dinner for my dad and I. Now, I wasn't always a big Thanksgiving dessert fan. Throughout the years, my families dessert menu consisted of Pumpkin pie (yuck), Apple pie,(double-yuck), and Pecan Pie. Growing up, I'm not sure I even ate dessert after our dinner. I've never been a fan of cooked apples, didn't care for the taste of pumpkin pie, and I don't think I even tried pecan pie. Eventually, I came around, and even though I still don't like cooked apples; I'm definitely a fan of Pecan and Pumpkin pies. This recipe is similar to the one my mother baked for our traditional Thanksgiving dinners. The recipe is from Joy of Cooking and the crust is from Cook's Illustrated. Unfortunately, I tad over-cooked the pie, but it still tasted great! If you want a traditional pie for Thanksgiving then I definitely recommend this Pecan Pie recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Crust:
1 1/4 c all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled
5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 pieces and chilled
4-6 tbsp ice water


Ingredients for Pie filling:
1/4 c butter (room temperature)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 c light corn syrup or molasses
1 to 1 1/2 c  broken peanuts or walnuts
1 tsp vanilla or 1 tbsp rum
1/2 tsp salt

For the Pie Crust
To make the pie crust, process the flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor until combined. Scatter shortening on top and process until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal, about 10 seconds. Scatter butter over top and pulse mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses.
Transfer the mixture into a medium bowl and sprinkle 4 tbsp of the ice water over the mixture.  Stir and press the dough together until it sticks together. If dough doesn't come together then add more water a tablespoon at a time until it does.
Get out a plastic sheet, and turn the dough unto the plastic sheet and flatten into a 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly and then refrigerate for about an hour. Before rolling out the dough, let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes. (Dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on counter before rolling it out.)
Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough into 12-inch circle on lightly floured surface. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9-inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over the edge. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into the bottom with the other hand. Leave any dough that overhangs plate in place. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch beyond the lip of the pie plate. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of pie using your fingers. Wrap dough-lined pie plate loosely in plastic and place in your freezer until the dough is fully chilled and firm, about 30 minutes, before using. Once pie is fully chilled, remove from the freezer and poke some holes into the dough using a fork. This will help it to not bubble up while cooking. Cook the pie for about 5 to 8 minutes. It will be fully cooked once the filling is poured into it. Remove pie from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes. Then, we'll add in the filling and cook for an additional 45 minutes.

For the filling:
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-5 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the light corn syrup, vanilla, and salt. Fill the partially baked pie shell. Cover the edge of the pie plate with foil, so that the outer pie crust doesn't burn. I wish I had done this because my crust burned. The Joy of Cooking cookbook says to turn the oven up to 450 degrees, but I felt that was a bit too warm. I would set it to 425, instead. Let bake for 40 minutes until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the filling. Enjoy!

Thin and Crispy Chocolate Chip Cookies

If there's one dessert that always hits the spot it's chocolate chip cookies. I posted this chocolate chip cookie recipe more than a year ago, which is absolutely fabulous, but you have to wait till the next day before you can eat them. However, these thin and crispy chocolate chip cookies are great if you want to satisfy that craving now! I found this recipe in my handy Cook's Illustrated cookbook. These cookies remind me of the ones my Grandma use to bake and then freeze. Their thin, crispy, and would taste great frozen or at room temperature. My grandma always froze her cookies, and I always knew to check the freezer for those goodies. I doubt she noticed a couple were missing. ;) Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 c granulated sugar
1/3 c packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 lg egg yolk
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 c semisweet chocolate chips

First, adjust your oven to the middle rack position and set your oven to 375 degrees. Then, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Now, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. Take the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat the melted butter, the sugars, and corn syrup on low speed until thoroughly blended, about 1 minute. Then add in the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla; mix until fully incorporated and smooth, about another minute. With mixer running on low, slowly add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Working with 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, roll into balls, and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake until the cookies are a deep golden brown and flat, about 10-12 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet halfway thru to ensure even baking. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for about 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. 

Sweet potato shepherd's pie

This was adapted from my favorite recipe website www.skinnytaste.com which means it’s the perfect combination of warm comfort food and low calories. I actually don’t like sweet potatoes but the chicken broth, garlic and sour cream gave the potato topping a creamy savory flavor that was simply delicious.

Sweet potato topping
1-1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled, diced
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fat free chicken broth
3 Tbsp reduced fat sour cream
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Boil sweet potatoes until soft. Drain then return to pan and mash with chicken broth, garlic, sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meat filling
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 parsnip, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
10 oz frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
paprika

Sauté ground turkey until brown seasoning with salt and pepper. Add onion, celery, and parsnip. Cook about 10 minutes, until onions are clear and celery is soft. Next add garlic and mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes. Finally add frozen vegetables, chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer on low about 15 minutes.

In a 9x13 oven safe dish spread the meat filling evening across the bottom. Add a heaping spoonful of the potato topping over each section and spread smooth to cover the meat filling. Use a fork to scrape the top of the potatoes to make a grid pattern across the top (it just makes it feel fancy). Sprinkle the potatoes with paprika. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool 10 minutes before serving.

French Onion Soup

So here goes my one post, every six months? Maybe not even that frequently? I'm so thankful I get to be a part of this awesome blog despite my infrequent posts. I look to this blog for new recipes and if I want to try something different, so it's very convenient.

Okay, so I have officially moved OUT of the in-laws and into my own apartment. That means I have my own kitchen, and I am so excited to be able to start cooking up a storm. Since the temperatures outside dropped for a bit, I thought a nice soup for dinner would be a great idea, and I have never made any kind of soup before. In trying to figure out what kind of soup I could make with ingredients I already had, french onion soup came to mind. I already had onions, wine, cheese, and bread. Not to mention Joe loves french onion soup.  This recipe from Food Network is what I chose to go by, and there was some as-I-go changes and adjustments because the time frames listed in the recipe were completely inaccurate. Well, at least they were for me. It definitely did not take 25 minutes to caramelize the onions, and it took way more than 5 minutes to evaporate the wine. Whoever wrote the instructions to this soup probably should revamp it. So here goes what I actually did, and it turned out pretty tasty!

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter
4 onions, sliced (I used 5 small onions)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs (I didn't have fresh thyme so I sprinkled in some dried thyme)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup red wine, about 1/2 bottle (I used what I had in stock, Chianti which worked out well)
3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 quarts beef broth
1 baguette, sliced
1/2 pound grated Gruyere (I just used shredded Kraft Swiss, which was still quite delicious)

In a large pot, melt a stick of butter. As the butter melts and warms up, slice all your onions and chop up garlic. You can make your onions as big or as small as you want for the soup. I sliced some onions and chopped some just for the fun of it. Saute your onions until they caramelize in the butter with garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. This took me about 15 minutes or so. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until wine has evaporated. The original recipe said 5 minutes, but this took about another 15 minutes. I could have very well not had the heat high enough, but what I did worked out just fine. Once the wine has mostly evaporated remove bay leaves and fresh thyme, add flour and stir. Cook for about five more minutes. Pour all of the broth into the pot and bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. I didn't add any more salt and pepper because the broth had plenty of salt. For a little different twist, I cut the baguette into cubes, toasted them in a pan with butter to make croutons. To serve, ladle soup into a bowl, drop a handful of shredded Swiss cheese into soup (or more handfuls of cheese if you so desire) and float croutons on top. Voila! Yummy french onion soup. Just beware your entire house will smell like onions for at least a day - consider opening a window or lighting candles.

Light Sesame Chicken

Well, I just made this recipe tonight, and I have to say it's definitely a keeper. I've been on a bit of an Asian kick lately. I think ever since I tried Peter Chang's restaurant this summer I've been inspired. I wasn't necessarily looking for an Asian-inspired recipe, though. Really, I was looking for a new chicken tenders recipe. Well, I went to the tried and true Tastespotting website, entered chicken in the search engine, and came across this recipe for Lighter Sesame Chicken. I kicked it up a notch by adding a tsp of sesame oil, a tsp of red pepper flakes, and a dash of cayenne pepper. I didn't have broccoli nor onions, but I didn't notice. It was really, really good. I practically licked my plate, and that's saying a lot. It's healthy and delicious. Give it a whirl and I bet you will love it, too. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tsp sesame oil (optional)
dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 cup honey
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1 egg white
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 small chicken breasts (12oz), cut into 2″ pieces
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 green onions, chopped
2 cups broccoli florets

First, take out a medium-sized bowl and combine the red pepper flakes, sesame oil, cayenne pepper, honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic. Stir well and set aside. Take out your chicken pieces and season with salt and pepper. Take out a medium-sized bowl and combine the egg white and cornstarch. Stir well. Toss the chicken pieces into the corn starch mixture. Get out your sautee pan and add the oil and set the heat to about medium to medium-high. At this point if you are making rice; I would get this going. Add the chicken pieces to the sautee pan and cook both sides for about 5 to 10 minutes. Once the chicken is cook thru; remove the pan from the heat and add some of the prepared sauce and the green onions if using. If using the broccoli; be sure to steam in a saucepan until crisp and tender. Then, add the broccoli to the chicken mixture. Spoon some of the remaining sauce over your rice and add chicken on top. Enjoy!

World's Best Lasagna

Growing up I wasn’t the biggest fan of lasagna. I thought it was just okay, but it wasn’t something I craved. I think the ricotta cheese was something I didn’t enjoy. For me; it was a bit too tangy. Maybe if it had more cheese in it than ricotta I would have enjoyed it more. Fast-forward 20 years later; and I have become a big fan of lasagna. I think the reason for this is now I can look for my own recipes and try them myself. Plus, I can add a ton of cheese if I so desire. Well, a while back I came across this recipe.

It had great reviews, and though the recipe seemed a bit daunting with all the ingredients;I was eager to give it a whirl. I’m really glad I did. It’s probably the best lasagna I’ve ever had. You make your own meat sauce, it has a ton of cheese (and, yes, even ricotta), and it makes a ton of it. I made this the other night; and my Dad raved that it’s one of the best things he’s ever had even in restaurants. So, go make it and you will not regret it one bit. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb. sweet Italian Sausage (or just regular Italian sausage)

3/4 lb. lean ground beef

½ cup minced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste

2 (6 oz) cans tomato sauce

½ cup water

2 tbsp white sugar

1 ½ tsp dried basil leaves

½ tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tbsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

12 lasagna noodles

16 oz ricotta cheese

1 egg

½ tsp salt

¾ lb. mozzarella cheese

¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese

First, get out your Dutch oven or large pot; and sauté the ground beef, sausage, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Next, stir in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water. Then, season with the sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp of the parsley. Simmer, covered, for about an hour and a half. Stir occasionally.

About an hour and fifteen minutes into the sauce simmering; take out a large pot and pour water and a little salt to cook the noodles in. Bring to a boil and cook the lasagna noodles for about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl; combine the ricotta cheese, egg, ½ tsp salt, and remaining parsley. Stir well.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Get out a 9x13 baking dish and pour 1 ½ cups of the meat sauce into the bottom of the dish. Spread the meat sauce. Next, arrange 6 of the noodles lengthwise across the meat sauce and spread half the ricotta mixture over the noodles, evenly. Top with a third of the mozzarella slices and then spoon 1 ½ cups of the meat sauce over the mozzarella and sprinkle ¼ cup of the Parmesan cheese. Repeat the layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Take some foil out to cover the baking dish; but first spray the foil with cooking spray so the cheese does not stick. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Ga Kho Chicken

I’m a sucker for chicken cooked in a killer sauce and served over rice. If you check out my past recipes, that’s definitely a theme. So I figured this recipe would be right up my culinary alley. It turned out… fine. A little sweet for my tastes, but I know there are people who love that. The comments on the blog where I found this, The Ravenous Couple, were nothing but raves, so maybe it was the fact that we couldn’t get our chicken to caramelize that made us miss out on some flavor. Anyway, this isn’t going to go into regular rotation for us, but if you like a sweet, flavorful sauce, then this might be the one for you!

4-6 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup water

4 cloves of crushed garlic

2 tbs chopped ginger or lemongrass

1 large shallot minced

2 tbs soy sauce for marinade

1 tbs brown sugar for marinade

2-3 serrano chiles

2 green onions, sliced

fresh cracked pepper

2 tbs cooking oil

Start by marinating the chicken with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar. The original recipe called for fish sauce, but as my husband so delicately put it, “It smells like feet.” Soy sauce is a good substitute, but go ahead use fish sauce if you know you like it. Marinate for a half hour at least.

In the meantime, you can make your sauce in a small bowl. Combine the brown sugar, soy sauce (or fish sauce), rice vinegar and water and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add in the shallot, garlic, and ginger and stir before setting aside.

Heat oil in a large pan and put in the chicken with the meatier side of the thigh facing down. This is where the original recipe wanted you to get some good caramelization, but it just didn’t work for us. Maybe because we have a nonstick pan? Anyway, allow it to sear without touching or moving the chicken for a minute or two and then pour in a quarter of the sauce. You’ll want to leave the chicken alone, again so that it gets a good sear on it (hopefully).

Cook for just a few minutes and check the chicken to see if it’s caramelized, or at least just nice and browned. Then you can turn it over and add the rest of the sauce. I also added in the chiles here because I wanted them to cook a little, although the recipe called to add them at the end. Top with cracked black pepper and serve over rice. The sauce will thicken even more once it is off the heat, and you definitely want the rice to soak it up. Like I said, it was very flavorful, just a little sweet for my tastes maybe. 

Palm Beach Brownies

When I was about 23 years old; I went to Vero Beach, Florida to visit my Aunt and Uncle. My cousin met me out there and we had a wonderful time. It was a lot of firsts for me during that trip. I went on my first boat ride, ate my first sushi, tried crab legs for the first time; saw my cousin in a play for the first time, etc. Eating brownies that my aunt had made wasn’t necessarily a first, but these brownies were to die for. They’re appropriately called Palm Beach Brownies. They have a crunchy outer crust and a soft inner layer. They are really good. I loved them so much that she gave me the recipe and I’ve been making them ever since. Hopefully, you’ll enjoy them, too!

Ingredients:

Makes 16 huge or 24 or more extra- large brownies
8 ounces unsweetened chocolate
8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter
5 lg eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons dry instant espresso or other powdered (not granular) instant coffee
3 3/4 cups sugar
1 2/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour
8 ounces (2 generous cups) walnut halves (optional)

First, adjust your rack 1/3 from the bottom of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Next, take a 9x13 baking pan; turn it over and cover it with a piece of aluminum foil and press down the foil around sides of the pan using your hands. Remove the foil and turn the pan over then press the foil into the pan. Spray the foil with cooking spray.

Take a small saucepan and place over a large saucepan filled about ¼ of the way with water, then melt the butter and unsweetened chocolate over medium heat. Stir occasionally to help melt the chocolate and butter. Once melted removed the chocolate mixture from the heat and set aside to let cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs, vanilla extract, almond extract, salt, dry instant espresso or coffee, and sugar at high speed for 10 minutes. Turn the speed down to low and add in the chocolate mixture. Beat only till just mixed. Next, add in the flour and beat only till just mixed. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the nuts, if using.

Pour the brownie mixture into your prepared baking pan and smooth the top. Bake for 15 minutes and then turn the pan to ensure even baking. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. If you insert a toothpick into the brownies it will come out wet even so it is done. Remove the brownies from the oven and let cool. Carefully, remove the brownie from the pan by lifting the foil. Cover with foil and refrigerate for several hours or leave it at room temperature over night. Use a serrated bread knife to cut into the brownies as they will be very sticky. Wrap brownies individually with foil or seal in an air tight container separating each layer with wax paper.

Weekend Bolognese Sauce (Updated!)

Update!
I revisited this recipe on a rainy Frankenstorm weekend and the updates I made were definitely worth re-posting. They took this bolognese from pretty tasty to amazing! Restaurant-worthy! I want to bathe in it! Maybe that's going a tad too far.... but you'll have to taste it to see. The main changes involved using pancetta instead of bacon and mild italian sausage instead of pork. I also added some onion powder. I've written in the updates below and I highly recommend you make this as soon as possible (and, maybe invite me to dinner?)

I have not always gotten along with the figurative old Italian grandmothers in the kitchen. Probably because of my habit of “cheesing the fish” (to great success as shown in this Parmesan Tilapia recipe) which is a cardinal sin in Italian cuisine. However, I think this Bolognese recipe will win them back over to my side. It took a full day of cooking, but it was worth it. You could make this meal in an hour or two, but cooking it longer lets the flavors really develop. I started this meal around noon, and we ate at 6:30, so it’s definitely a weekend recipe. Make sure to use a hearty enough pasta to go with this sauce—spaghetti just doesn’t work. Pappardelle is ideal if you can find it. I couldn’t so we used Campanelle, which was really good as well. I found this recipe at food.com, but there are tons out there.

Ingredients

4 oz diced pancetta

1 medium onion (finely chopped)

2 large carrots (finely chopped)

4 cloves garlic (minced)

4 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 lb lean ground beef

1 lb italian ground sausage

1 cup beef consommé/broth

1 cup dry white wine

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon rubbed sage

1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup whole milk or cream

Start by chopping up the veggies and getting your bacon ready. Heat up the oil and butter in your Dutch oven and then add in the onion, carrots and garlic. This is also where you’d toss in your pancetta. Cook until the onions are translucent (8-10 minutes).

Next, add in the beef and sausage. Break it apart and mix as you cook, until it’s all crumbled and all the pinkness is gone. Now add in the wine and broth. The original recipe called for consommé, but I couldn’t find any and just used broth. Not sure there’s a big difference for this recipe. Turn the heat up and bring the liquid to a boil, cooking until most of it has evaporated. It took about 12-15 minutes for me. Turn it down to a simmer and add in all your seasonings, stirring well. Let it cook for 20 minutes to let the spices get all friendly with the meat.

After 20 minutes, pour in the crushed tomatoes and add the tomato paste. Stir it in well, and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiled, turn it back down to a simmer. Now the real cooking begins. Simmer for anywhere from 2-4 hours, partially covered. We left ours on for 4 hours, and the longer you can let it cook the better. I actually think that if you could delay gratification even longer, it’d be worth it. About ten minutes before you’re set to eat, add in one cup of milk or cream and stir it in (I recommend cream, it's worth it). Serve over a sturdy pasta with Parmesan Reggiano on top. Parmesan Reggiano is the way to go (not just parmesan)—it has such a sharp flavor that if you get just regular Parmesan you’ll be missing out. Try this recipe. Try it right now. 

(Click for printable recipe)

Iron Chef Chips: Ice Cream Chipped Pie

In my opinion; Iron Chef events should be all about trying new recipes.  I don't think it's much fun to make a recipe that you've made over and over and over. For this Iron Chef; we had 2 months to find and try some recipes. Well, I found many recipes, but tried about 7 of them. I really couldn't find something that wowed me until the very last recipe. I came across this Ice Cream Chip Pie recipe, and had a feeling that it could be a winner. Well, I wasn't very confident it would be a winner, but I thought it would at least be pretty darn good. I was right on both counts; it wasn't a winner but it was pretty darn good.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup crushed lightly salted potato chips
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup Breyers Snickers ice cream, very soft
8 large, unbroken, lightly salted potato chips
1 pint Haagen-Dazs Dulce de Leche ice cream, very soft
1/4 cup chocolate chips

First take crush the potato chips using a rolling pin and then combine the chips and the melted butter in a medium bowl; and then press the chips in a pie plate. Freeze for 10 minutes to set the crust. Take the softened snickers ice cream and spread over the potato chip crust. This isn't necessary, but place the potato chips around the crust to form a petal like look.  Then, freeze the ice cream for 10 minutes. Remove the pie from the freezer and then spread the dulche de leche ice cream over the snickers. Freeze for 45 minutes. Melt the chocolate ice cream and then sprinkle over the pie. Freeze overnight. Enjoy!!!

Thai Cabbage Salad with Chicken

In my ongoing effort to find relatively healthy recipes that are also wonderfully delicious, I came across this recipe for Thai Cabbage Salad with chicken on Snapfood. I’ve always enjoyed Thai in general, and Thai salads in particular, so I thought I’d give it a try. It turned out great! Full of flavor with a little bit of spiciness. The original recipe called for cucumbers and red pepper but I omitted them because of personal tastes. I also omitted the peanuts because my husband doesn’t like them. Even though this has a lot of ingredients it was fairly easy to make (especially if you use a mandoline). Oh, and just save yourself the trouble and buy the pre-shredded carrots.

Salad Ingredients

1 small head Red Cabbage, shredded
1 medium head Napa or Green Cabbage, shredded
3 carrots, julienned
1 bunch green onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup tightly packed basil, chopped
1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro, chopped

Dressing Ingredients
1/2 cup sunflower oil (or vegetable oil)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp, Sesame Oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
Zest and Juice of 1 lemon
Zest and Juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp Sriracha

Chicken Ingredients
2 chicken breasts, diced
1 tsp, turmeric
1 tsp, ground ginger
1 tsp, garlic
1 tsp, salt
1 tsp, cumin

Chop up all your vegetables and mix them well in a large Tupperware container (makes it easier for mixing as well as storing). Mix the dressing ingredients in a small jar or Tupperware and shake to mix and emulsify. Don’t pour over the salad until you are done with the chicken. Mix the spices in a small bowl and then add the chicken, stirring to cover evenly. Cook over medium heat while stirring until cooked (about 6-8 minutes). Add the chicken to the vegetables and pour the dressing over it all. Mix well. I put the lid on the Tupperware and shook it around and that seemed to work well. 

Iron Chef Chips

A couple things we learned from Iron Chef Chips; a. space out when we eat each course; b. chips as a main ingredient really isn’t so bad; c. be sure to check with your fellow course partner to make sure you both aren’t making the same thing; d. make smaller portions; and e. Just Dance is a great way to break up the courses! Overall, I have to say that Iron Chef Chips was a really big hit! I, for one, was extremely nervous about this secret ingredient. But, I really had nothing to worry about. And, even though our main courses were both Frito Pies they ended up being very different. Overall, I think this was a big success, and congrats to Chelyen and Kim for their wins! Now, on to the dishes that were served:

We started out with Greta’s Roasted Tomatoes and Chips Bruschetta. It smelled divine, and tasted exceptional, too. Perhaps it wasn’t the most chip-tasting appetizer served, but it was really flavorful and had a nice garlic kick to it.

Greta's Roasted Tomato and Chip Bruschetta

Next up was Laura’s Zucchini Chips. Afterall, this Iron Chef was all about repurposing the main ingredient. Laura certainly tried to go that route with zucchini chips. She was a bit disappointed that the zucchini didn’t crisp up more, but overall they tasted great. Plus, serving zucchini chips with an onion dip is never a bad thing.

Laura's Zucchini Chips

The last appetizer round went to Cara’s tofu dish. She wanted to do something fun and interesting with her recipe. And, I definitely think she succeeded. I would say you either liked Cara’s dish or you didn’t…in other words, if you like Tofu then you loved her recipe. If you don’t like Tofu, well, you probably weren’t a fan of this one. It sounds like Cara may host the next Iron Chef in January! So, we will definitely look forward to that.

Cara's Chip Tofu

Now, onto the 2 main courses; Chelyen was up first, and she served a Frito Chili Pie in a bag of Fritos. Chelyen’s chili was a family recipe, and it was a big hit amongst our crowd. She served it in a bag of freshly opened bag of Fritos.

Chelyen's Frito Chili Pie

It maybe wasn’t the best use of repurposing chips, but her presentation and taste were certainly wow factors! She served it with cheese and onions were optional. Doan, on the other hand, made her Frito Pie with chicken and crushed fritos. It had a nice kick to it and served with avocados, cheese, and sour cream took it to the next level.

Doan's Frito Pie Casserole

Onwards to the desserts; both Kim and I thought we might have a decent shot at winning this particular iron chef. After-all who doesn’t like sweet and salty flavors? Well, Kim was up first; and she served a Peanut Butter Chip Cookie Bomb. Chips were not only incorporated in her cookie, but it was also mixed into the whipped cream that she made from scratch. She served it with Hershey syrup and it was simply divine!!! In my opinion, it was one of the best desserts served in a long time!

Kim's Peanut Butter Chip Cookie Bomb

Since everyone was pretty full, we decided to take a break from eating the next dessert and instead played a couple rounds of Just Dance. It was quite a lot of fun! I’m glad we decided to break for some dancing otherwise I don’t think anyone would have been able to eat my Ice Cream Chipped Pie.

Emily's Ice Cream Chipped Pie

The chips were incorporated into a pie crust and served with snickers and dulce de leche ice cream. I received good feedback from everyone, so I think it was a hit.

We will certainly look forward to our next Iron Chef, though, no ingredient has been set. Ideas, anyone? Till next time.

Mongolian Beef

So, I had planned on making this Mongolian Beef recipe for a Sunday night dinner. But after a filling lunch, we were both a little so-so on the idea of an organized dinner. We also had the added challenge of needing to eat a little early to make a 6pm appointment. (Okay, it was to play Call of Duty). But we decided to make it anyway and here’s a testament to how good it was. Despite not being that hungry, despite having to eat early, my husband still had seconds. I certainly would have as well, but I’ve been trying to have a modicum of self-control (or at least delude myself into thinking I have it). This was rich, meaty, with a really tasty thick sauce. The original recipe (which I found on Mrs. Schwartz’s Kitchen) is meant to imitate PF Chang’s dish, and not being a PF Chang’s regular I’m not sure if it did, but it definitely tasted great. The only think I would knock it for is just being meat and sauce. We added in onions but next time I think broccoli would also be a perfect addition, or any veggie you like, really.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons canola oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ teaspoon ginger, grated
½ cup brown sugar
½  cup water
½ cup soy sauce
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1 lb flank or sirloin steak, thinly sliced
¼ cup cornstarch

½ cup white onion, chopped large
green onions, chopped for garnish

Broccoli Florets (optional)

Start by chopping your onions and broccoli and setting aside. Then thinly slice the beef, removing any large fatty pieces, and coat it lightly with cornstarch before setting that to the side as well.

Heat your oil in a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat. I just used vegetable oil because that’s what I had on hand. Add in the ginger and garlic and stir continuously for about two minutes or until fragrant. Then stir in the brown sugar, water, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Wait until it comes to a simmer then turn the heat to low. It seems like a lot of sauce but it thickens up and reduces.

Heat a little more oil in a large wok or skillet over medium high heat and add in your white onion and broccoli. Stir fry for about 5 minutes until they soften just a little, then add in the meat. Make sure you keep it moving in the wok so it doesn’t burn. The cornstarch seemed to soak up all the oil for us so it was pretty dry in there. The meat should cook pretty quickly, about 4-6 minutes. Don’t overdo it.

Once the meat is cooked, turn down the heat to medium low and pour your sauce into the wok. Scrape any browned bits from the pan. Your sauce will thicken up because of the cornstarch and will continue to thicken as you cook. Once it is at your desired consistency, serve over rice and sprinkle green onions on top! And don’t be ashamed to take seconds.