Crockpot "take-out" Broccoli Beef

This is one I found on Pinterest and it was very very yummy. Eric and Kya loved it too! Score!
So this website does not allow copy and pasting and I am much too lazy to type it up right now and then credit the blogger and so on and so forth.
So instead, here is the site with the recipe:

http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/2012/09/12/take-out-fake-out-beef-broccoli-crockpot/

just copy and paste into browser and you're in business!


Here is MY photo of the finished product:

I will be making this again!

Salmon Sandwich and "Chips"

Fork is a local restaurant here in Boise that prides themselves on using local ingredients, and the food is amazing. At least once a week I crave their salmon filet sandwich. It is delicious!

So of course I made my own....

-1.5 lb salmon filet from the butcher
-Lemon
-Sliced red onion
-Sliced shallots
-Garlic Minced
-Yummy garlic sauce (pictured below)
-Avocado
-Butter
-Rolls (from Zeppole)
-Lettuce
-White chedder cheese (optional)

So For the cooking of the salmon:

1. Patted it dry

2. Salt and Pepper

3. Squeeze some lemon juice on top

4. Rub 1 minced garlic clove over the top

5. Layer slices of butter and lemon

6. Cook at 350 degrees for roughly 20-25 mins (check every 10 mins)

Picture isn't great, but it was buttery and delicious. I promise.

While the salmon was finishing cooking, I sauteed the red onion and shallots in a tiny bit of oil.

Next I sliced the rolls, buttered each side and toasted in the toaster oven.

Then I added a generous helping of this delicious Garlic parmesan spread along with avocado, lettuce, cheese and the shallots and red onion.

Again, the picture quality sucks and it doesn't look terribly fantastic, BUT it was sooo good and I was in heaven. So happy I pulled it off! 

Also, I decided to make homemade potato chips and it was quite the disaster. I started by frying them and they were NOT coming out the way I had envisioned them (half almost burnt half soggy). So I tried baking them and still got a lack luster result. So I threw my hands up and said "I GIVE UP" I was not meant to make potato chips. Ever.

So I settled for cooking sliced potatoes in the oven on 400 for about 10 mins to get a nice, normal side dish.....Oh and I rubbed some oil on them and sprinkled them with a seasoning called "garlic salt with parsley" before cooking. YUM!

Above are the fried ones...yuck.

These are the "normal" baked ones that actually tasted good....

Oh BOY Chow Mein! And Salmon :)

As I mentioned before, I am completely in love with all things asian [food]. I had most of the ingredients to make chow mein so I figured, why not?! I am so glad I did....holy cow was it good. I couldn't even bring myself to drench it in Siracha (like I do with everything else).

I looked at a few different recipes online for chow mein and ended up getting overwhelmed. So I said "screw it!" and went at it alone! And here is what I came up with!

-2 packs of Chow Mein noodles (Boiled in half water half chicken broth)

-3 celery stalks chopped

-1 large carrot julienned

- Half a bag of shredded cabbage

-1 Onion sliced

-1 Garlic clove minced

-Handful of Bean sprouts 

"Sauce"

-4 TBSP oyster sauce (or more if you like, I'm just guesstimating how much I used)

-A few dashes of soy sauce (I use lite)

-1 TSP sugar

-2 TBSP sesame oil

-1/3 cup chicken broth

-Salt and pepper

-Dash of onion and garlic powder

Now keep in mind, I just throw things in a pot and hope it turns out well. SO I am guessing how much of each ingredient that I used (sorry). But thankfully unlike baking, you can fudge quite a bit in cooking! Which is why I love it so....

The process:

I boiled the noodles first in a pot of half water half chicken broth for 3 minutes.

Then I rinsed the noodles in cold water and set aside.

Next I heated the sesame oil in the wok and started throwing in veggies. next up the "sauce" Then I had to drain some of the sauce before I added the noodles. I added more oyster sauce because it's amazing....

Then I cooked the mixture for a few minutes before turning the heat up and stirring to brown the noodles.

It. Was. SO. Good.

Next up was the salmon.

-1 TBSP brown sugar

-2 TBSP soy sauce

-Grated ginger

-1 garlic clove minced (I always use my garlic press)

-1 TBSP rice vinegar

-Drizzle of honey

-Salt and pepper

Pretty simple. I threw all the ingredients onto the salmon to marinade for an hour or so (30 mins is fine).  I put the salmon in a foil lined baking dish with the sauce and broiled it for 8 minutes.

After it came out I drizzled a tiny bit more honey it.

It was yummy! But do not use frozen, bagged salmon....it's just not the same :(

Dinner is served!

Or you could be creative like Eric.....

I made sticky rice for him because he wants EVERYTHING over rice.....so he put the noodles on the rice and the salmon on the noodles. Kinda cute ;)

Chicken and Stir Fry Veggies

I absolutely love stir fry or anything resembling asian food. It's an addiction really. But any how I went to lunch at a chinese restaurant with my mom and daughter yesterday and decided I'd keep the theme going for dinner time.

So I started with chicken marinating chicken:

-About 2 TBSP Oyster Sauce
-About 1-1.5 TSP Fish Sauce
-1 clove of garlic minced 
-Some fresh grated ginger (you could use powdered as well)

I left it like that for a couple hours while it defrosted on the counter.

Next is the veggies:

-Half a bag of Frozen broccoli
-Handful of bean sprouts
-1 small onion chopped
-1 zucchini sliced
-2 sliced carrots
-2 cloves of garlic minced
-1 to 2 handfuls of snap peas
-2 green onion sliced


I cooked the veggies in my new wok (SO exciting!) and the chicken in my new non-stick "Orgreenic" pan.

I prefer to cook with coconut oil because it is so good for you and adds and interesting flavor!

I put a small spoonful in the wok with the garlic and onions and sauteed for a couple of minutes.

Then I added the carrots, broccoli and then the peas (because they are the "hardest" of the veggies.

After sauteing them for a few minutes, I added the rest.

And of course toward the end I turned the heat way up and stirred continuously to get them nice and browned!

As they cooked I added a bit of soy sauce, oyster sauce, onion powder and salt and pepper.

Some red hot pepper flakes would be good but I didn't want it to be spicy for my 4 year old.

Simultaneously I cut the chicken into strips and poured it into the pan:

It doesn't look super appetizing in this photo, but that's okay.

As it neared completion, I noticed it's lack of color and scent [and I happen to be HUGE on flavor] So I added a bit of sweet and sour sauce that I had in my fridge (purchased from a grocery store).

It gave the chicken a pretty pink color and added just the right amount of flavor to compliment the marinade. I forgot to take a picture because I was so hungry, but all in all it was yummy! And even though I didn't cook the meat and veggies together, it tasted fine mixed.

PS: put this over rice! And then you have your protein, veggie, and carb all in one bowl :) Unless of course you are dieting.....

Crock Pot Pork Tenderloin

So thus far it appears I am mostly posting recipes that I have gotten from somewhere on the internet [and posting the website to give credit where it's due]. I am doing this so that I can remember what I have made, whether or not it is worth making again, and the "tweaks" I made [If I made any]. And also so that my friends and family can make them too if desired.

So here is a recipe for crock pot pork. And it is phenomenal in my opinion. [It is boyfriend and 4 year old approved as well!]

This recipe and photo are not mine: 

Website: http://abcoulter.blogspot.com/2012/02/foodie-friday-crockpot-pork-tenderloin.html

Recipe:

My personal photo of the ingredients I used :)

I seriously loved this. And who doesn't love throwing all this deliciousness into a crock pot and a few hours later having juicy, tender meat!

PS: Do take some of the juice from the crock pot after it is done and make a gravy [add cornstarch to the juice in a sauce pan] It makes a huge difference!

Fall means SOUP! Tomato Basil Soup

Oh soup, how I love you!

 I attended a BBQ at my grandpa's house and left with not only a ton of tasty leftovers but lots of fresh tomatoes from his garden! I know it's terrible, but I cannot eat tomatoes....it totally grosses me out. Which I'm pretty sure disqualifies me as any kind of "foodie" *tear*

BUT I love anything made with tomatoes...stupid I know!

Okay back on track-

I could honestly make this with no recipe because it is very simple. However I tend to wander, so I generally find a recipe online and then tweak it to my liking. This however did not need tweaking in my opinion.

Tomato Basil Soup [Not my recipe] :

Ingredients

-       7 plum tomatoes, chopped

-       ½ medium onion, diced

-       3 garlic cloves, diced

-       2.5 cups chicken stock

-       ½ cup dry white wine

-       6 basil leaves, chopped

-       2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

 

Method

1. Over medium heat in a large pan (stockpot) heat your olive oil before adding onions and garlic.
2. Once the onions and garlic are soft (after about 3 mins) add tomatoes until they get softer.
3. Add chicken stock and wine then bring to a boil. Once you see bubbles turn the stove down to a simmer and cook covered for 20 minutes.
4. Remove the tomato from the stove and pour soup into the blender and add basil.
5. Pulse the blender for less than a minute until your soup is smooth and all the tomatoes have been broken down.
6. You can top with a few small basil leaves before serving if you’re feeling fancy

I aquired this recipe here:

 http://www.theyummytruth.com/quick/fresh-tomato-basil-soup/

(The photos however are mine!)

I also added grated Romano cheese on top AND you could definitely add heavy cream, milk or butter to make it a creamy tomato soup. I usually try to make my meals as healthy as I can, but hey to each his own!

Another side note: I made "gourmet grilled cheese" to complete the meal and it was delish!
I used a local sourdough bread [Zeppole]
Gouda and White chedder cheese
Smart balance butter spread to cook sandwiches in.
1 clove of garlic to rub on the outside of the bread after it is cooked.

The top left photo in this collage is my finished product! I loved the orangish color!

MmmMmmMmm

Wraps, wraps, wraps!

I discovered [Well rather my dad and step mom discovered] these gigantic wraps at Winco. I can't remember the brand but I think "Don" is in the title and they are located near the deli. So, these things are huge and make incredible wraps. I made several but unfortunately did not take pictures other than a couple.

Here's a trick to cooking the wrap (before you fill it with goodies)

Throw some coconut oil into a hot pan and brown the wrap on both sides.

Then sprinkle the side that will be facing out with salt. 

The first is a shrimp wrap: 

I do not remember the EXACT ingredients but this is what I remember:

Lettuce

Shrimp (frozen and then boiled quickly in chicken broth)

hummus

grilled onions

avocado

shredded cheese (whatever you happen to have)

hot sauce

I season almost everything with onion and garlic powder, but that's up to you!

Next time I would add:

sauteed shallots

zucchini 

Corned Beef Wrap (Re-done into a steak and mashed potato wrap):

This idea was not quite as good. Mostly because corned beef can be tough and hard to eat. However I did this again and ditched the corned beef. Instead I utilized some leftover steak and mashed potatoes from our Anniversary dinner and it came out amazing!

So this is what it had:

leftover steak cut into strips

leftover mashed potatoes

lettuce

sliced swish cheese

hot sauce

Pretty simple!

Do this with any left overs!

The beauty of these wraps is that you can add any sauce/seasoning/veggie that you like and it will almost always come out yummy!

And finally the tuna wrap:

I do not have a picture sadly. But boy were they good! And believe it or not, I HATE tuna. So that in itself is amazing......

Your favorite canned tuna (Trader Joe's is best!)

mix the tuna with a bit of ranch dressing and cayenne pepper

hummus

lettuce

sliced dill pickles

avocado

sliced cheese

hot sauce

There are about a million ways to make these wraps and I'm sure I'll come up with more!

I think next up shall be a dill/salmon wrap with capers and who knows what else! 

Pumpkin Spice Lattes

So like every other girl on Facebook raving about fall, I too am obsessed. To the point that my entire demeaner changes once the weather cools and stores fill with autumn bouquets and assorted gourds.

Anywho, I love Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes. But they are ridiculous. A- because they are so amazingly good. B- because they are expensive [just like everything else they have] and C- because they aren't exactly "diet friendly" drinks that should be consumed daily. 

So I thought I would find a recipe and try it for myself.

Recipe below [that I found on Pinterest and borrowed from a Blogger]:

Ingredients:

-1 cup hot, strong coffee.  

-3/4 cup milk (I used 2% because it was on hand, but whole milk would be extra yummy)

-1 tsp. vanilla

-1 tbsp. pumpkin puree

-1 tsp. brown sugar

-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

-whipped cream!

Here's what you do:

1.  Whisk together the milk, pumpkin puree, vanilla, brown sugar, and spices.  

2.  Heat in a small saucepan on the stove over medium heat.  (or microwave for 1-2 minutes)

3.  Whisk quickly to create foam (be careful though - it's hot!)4.  Pour over hot coffee.  Garnish with whipped cream and some pumpkin pie spice. 

And the website:

http://www.meundeniably.com/2013/09/pumpkin-spice-latte-recipe.html

So that is the recipe I was following but decided to use almond milk instead of regular [DON'T do that]. It was gross. So I tried again and followed her recipe, minus the whipped cream. 

It's pretty good. Not quite Starbucks good, but it does suffice!

My day of cooking

My day of cooking:

Well, I just finished setting up my first blog!

How exciting!

Since most of my posts will consist of recipes and all things food, I decided to re-visit my day of cooking from last Friday.

Wait- sorry, let me back-track

I was laid off from my job as a home loan processor about 2 months ago. So naturally I have ample time on my hands to do what I please [until I find a new job that is].

So I've chosen to spend a lot of time cooking.....and falling back in love with it!

So back to last Friday....

My boyfriend LOVES rice. 

And when I say LOVES I mean that he could probably eat every day, mutiple times a day.

So I headed to Fred Meyer to purchase a rice cooker/steamer. 

So I made steamed rice, veggies, teryaki chicken, chicken stock, and.....Chocolate creme pie! Yum!

Let me just say, I don't bake. Or make deserts. Mostly because I was never good at it and partly for the sake of trying to lose weight [ha]. But anyways I am trying to re-teach myself to make deserts because again, the boyfriend has a HUGE sweet tooth!

I decided that I wanted to make REAL chocolate creme pie [meaning NO pudding]

 So I searched around on Pinterest [Yes I am addicted] until I found a recipe that appealed to me.

So here it is:

http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/8189564/classic-chocolate-cream-pie/

I did buy pie crust. But I used 1% milk and Smart Balance butter spread as "lighter" options and it still tasted great! And then I topped it with lite Cool Whip and chocolate shavings. Delish!

For the Teryaki chicken I cheated....

I grabbed a rotisserie while I was at Freddy's, pulled the meat off and threw it into a container with this sauce:

It's pretty good!

BUT cheating with the rotisserie chicken worked out! Because I was able to toss it into the crock pot with some chopped onion, celery, carrot, parsley and garlic and turn it into stock for soups! SCORE!

So all in all it was fun! And I didn't mess up the dessert! And the boyfriend loved everything :)