Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Lettuce Wrap Tacos

Had these for dinner tonight and we really enjoyed them. We'll definitely be having these again and again. It's not really a recipe, per se, more of an idea for you. Just take your favorite taco fillings and toppings and instead of using a shell or tortilla use a piece of lettuce. Then wrap them up and enjoy!

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Korean Beef Bulgogi

How did we celebrate Pioneer Day? We made Korean food. We didn't celebrate at all, no grilling, no fireworks, notta. Oh well, it happens. However, our Korean food was really good. I've been wanting to try bulgogi for a while now, and I'm so glad we did. It's super simple and very tasty. I followed this idea from My Epicurean Adventures. Hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:
1 lb. steak, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 green onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Preparation:
Combine sugar, green onions, garlic, soy sauce, sesame seeds, and pepper in a gallon sized ziploc bag. Shake well to combine. Add steak to bag, squeeze out all the air and seal up. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours. Once done marinating, sear and cook the meat in a skillet over medium-high heat. You might need to do it in a couple batches. The meat won't take very long at all, just a couple minutes since it's sliced super thin. Serve over rice with your favorite Asian side dishes.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Pizza Hut Style Breadsticks

It's been a little while since I've posted a bread recipe. I just don't make it that often. Any recipe dealing with yeast intimidates me. But I braved this recipe and it turned out quite nice. I love love love breadsticks, a definite comfort food for me. I saw this idea online at Meg's Everyday Indulgence and Nate and I really enjoyed it. The topping tastes very similar to Pizza Hut's breadsticks. We'll be making these again. I served this with some simple grilled chicken and a green salad. I got about 2 dozen breadsticks out of this recipe, next time I'll cut it in half. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
For the dough:
1 1/3 cups warm water (105 degrees) (I had to add an extra 1/3 cup water to my dough)
1/4 cup non-fat dry milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 package instant dry yeast
4 cups flour
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3-6 Tbsp. olive oil

For the seasoning:
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. dry Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. onion powder
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. basil

Preparation:
In your mixer, with the dough hook attached, combine yeast, dry milk, and sugar. Pour in warm water and let stand for 5 minutes. Add in vegetable oil. Add salt and slowly add in flour a little bit at a time. Knead for 4-5 minutes. Remove dough and divide into 2 equal portions. Get out 2 baking sheets and spread 3 Tbsp. onto each one. Roll out a dough ball onto each pan. It won't take up the whole baking sheet, but it should be rolled out to a decent size. Cover and let rise in a warm place until the dough doubles in size. It took about 1 1/2 hours. Once dough is risen uncover and use a pizza cutter to cut into breadsticks. I cut in half width-wise and then into strips. Melt butter and spread over the dough. Combine the remaining seasoning ingredients (Parmesan, onion powder, oregano, garlic powder, garlic salt, and basil) and sprinkle over the top of the buttered dough. Bake at 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Enjoy warm!

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Nate's Sriracha Barbecue Sauce

Nate's work often does fun contests and today is no exception. Since they have to stay late for case reviews they are having a department barbecue. Several workers are smoking pork butts and they are having a pulled pork competition tonight. Nate started the smoking process at 10 pm last night. He got his favorite rub made and applied and injected the pork too. He put the meat in the smoker about midnight and it's been going ever since. Nate decided he wanted a barbecue sauce to go along with his pulled pork. He loves sriracha hot sauce and wanted a nice spicy barbecue sauce that included it. We found this idea over at All Four Burners and just adapted to Nate's preferences. We hope you like it!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sriracha
1 1/2 cups molasses
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. ketchup
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. granulated ginger

Preparation:
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool and serve with your favorite barbecue items. Enjoy!

Monday, July 15, 2013

Chicago Chicken

I'm back! We've been busy camping and hanging out with visiting family and lovin' on a cute new nephew. But things are falling back into place and cooking is happening more regularly. Last night I made this chicken. Both the mister and I really enjoyed it. It's a good summer recipe, the jalapeno, lemon, and oregano have this bright fresh taste. I saw this idea over at Plain Chicken. The only changes I made were to cut the lemon juice in half and to add a little seasoning salt. We'll definitely be making this again!

Ingredients:
1 jalapeno (remove the ribs and seed if you don't want the heat, I removed these)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
pinch of seasoning salt (maybe a 1/4 tsp.)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast

Preparation:
Wash and cut the ends off the jalapeno. Remove the ribs and seeds if you like. Add the jalapeno, lemon juice, oregano. olive oil, garlic, and salt to your food processor. Pulse until well combined and the jalapeno is finely minced. Add the marinade to a ziploc bag and then add the chicken. Push the air out of the bag and seal, making sure the chicken is well coated. Put the bag in a dish and refrigerate for 4-5 hours. After marinating grill up your chicken and enjoy!