Spicy Shrimp Sushi Stacks

The Eagles are going to the Super Bowl!!  That was a fantastic game!  There were so many moments last night, where my husband and I would look at each other in disbelief of what we were witnessing.   

What made the game even sweeter were these sushi stacks!  Don't let the picture fool you; these babies are a lot bigger than your average piece of sushi.  The ingredients are layered in a 1 cup measuring cup.  Perfectly seasoned sushi rice is topped with a cool, creamy, crunchy, avocado and cucumber layer, and then it's topped off with delectable, spicy, creamy, shrimp.  Delicious!  They are also very versatile.  You can swap out the shrimp with raw salmon, tuna, or cooked chicken.  My gears were turning as I was making these, and I've decided to make a buffalo chicken version for the Super Bowl, replacing the avocado mixture with a blue cheese and celery mixture and replacing the spicy shrimp with buffalo chicken!  

Note:  For an extra kick of heat, up the Sriracha to 1 tbsp.  

Easy Homemade Ramen

Well, it's official:  After a lot of prayer, we've decided to start homeschooling my little sous chef starting the next school year!  I'm both excited and nervous for this new adventure we're about to embark upon.  Seventh grade is no joke, and I've been spending countless hours researching curriculum, obsessing over state laws, etc.  One of my plans is to get her cooking more with me in the kitchen during the week, and hopefully I'll be able to incorporate more of her into my blog posts!  As anyone else, I know we'll have good days and bad days, and I am preparing myself for the laughter, tears, victory, and frustration.  Bring it!  

Now on to the recipe.  I had some leftover pulled pork that I had to use up for dinner this weekend, and I decided to use it in Ramen.  This homemade version is so easy and much healthier than the stuff we used to live off of in college!  The broth is so flavorful and delicious, and I know you'll  love the addition of the soft-boiled egg.  

Our Favorite Skillet Beef and Broccoli

Looking for a go-to, restaurant-quality, never-ordering-take-out-again beef and broccoli recipe?  This is it!  No wok required.  It's seriously delicious, super easy to make, ready in under 30 minutes (including marinating time!), and much healthier than take-out. 

Choosing the beef:  Flat iron steak may be more expensive, but is the best choice for this dish because it's more tender.  Skirt (or flank) steak works well, too, but it won't be quite as tender.  Whichever beef you choose, know that they are best when thinly sliced against the grain and cooked quickly to medium-rare.  Cooking beyond medium will cause the steak to be tough.  

Note:  Because my family prefers their broccoli soft, I blanch it ahead of time (while the steak is marinating).

Shrimp, Snow Peas & Mushrooms over Jasmine Rice

It's been two months already since we've moved into our new home.  Because of the timing of our settlement date, I got a little bit of a late start with my new garden.  I'm just now beginning to harvest zucchini, cucumber, tomatoes, green beans, etc.  Better late than never!  I had the exciting discovery of black cherry trees and a Chester Thornless Black Raspberry bush in my backyard last month.  The black cherries are done for the year, but I'm still getting a ton of blackberries.  Maybe jams and jellies will be on the menu soon!  I also have an overabundance of snow peas. While my little sous chef and I have generally been enjoying them raw, I decided to use them in dinner last night.  I don't know why we don't eat snow peas more often.  They're one of my favorite veggies!  My husband and daughter raved over this dish.  It's so full of flavor.  

On a different note, we got the new Samsung Galaxy S6 Active a few weeks ago.  I love so many things about it, but my favorite thing is the camera -- it takes amazing photos!  For the very first time, I decided to use a phone camera for blogging.  Not bad, right?! 

Quinoa & Chicken Fried "Rice" -- and the reason for my hiatus

What's with my two-and-a-half month hiatus from food blogging?  I've had a very good reason.  We just bought and moved into a new house!  I'm surprised at how quickly this place has felt like home to us.  It is taking me some time, however, to adjust to a new kitchen.  I still haven't had time to set up a food blogging station at my new house, so I ended up taking this photo on the windowsill of my bay window.  Not too bad!  I'm so happy that I can finally food blog again.  I've missed it! 

Even though we're settled in, there are still boxes that haven't been unpacked yet.  Last night, we were craving Chinese food for dinner, so I started gathering ingredients to make fried rice.  I couldn't find my rice anywhere, so I decided to use quinoa instead.  I love how quinoa takes on the flavor of whatever ingredients you cook with it.  Easy to make, delicious and healthy! 

Busy Weeknight Shrimp & Rice Noodle Stir Fry with Peas

Wednesdays have turned out to be quite the busy day for us this year.  Once school lets out for the day, it's Girls on the Run until 5:00 followed by a mad rush to finish homework.  We then prepare & eat dinner all before dance practice from 6:30 to 8:00.  This is one of my favorite meals for busy week nights.  While soaking the noodles in hot water, the rest of the ingredients are prepped and then sauteed in a skillet.  It's fast and easy, and it tastes delicious!

Note:  I always keep a 2 lb. bag of frozen raw easy peel shrimp in my freezer.  To quickly thaw the shrimp out, place however much shrimp your recipe calls for in a Ziplock bag.  Submerge the shrimp in a large pot of warm water for about 20 minutes, depending on the size of your shrimp.  

Vegetarian Cauliflower Fried "Rice"

We're expected to get about a foot of snow between today and tomorrow!  Since my little sous chef and I were snowed in today and I was able to finish work early, I decided to venture into the kitchen and try something different.  I've been noticing cauliflower being used in place of rice in recipes, and I've wanted to try it for myself for quite some time now.  Today was the day.  I was definitely skeptical at first, but now that I've tried it, I'm a believer.  When seasoned properly, you really can't taste a difference between the two!  This is a delicious, healthy, and satisfying version of fried "rice" that's both low in calories and low in carbs.  It can also be made in under 30 minutes!  

15-Minute Shrimp Mei Fun

We've been pretty busy lately, so I've been making a lot of my quick and easy dinners.  Of all of my 15-minute meals, this one is my family's favorite.  It's better than anything you can get from Chinese take-out (or so my husband proclaims), and it is incredibly easy to make.  Mei fun simply means thin rice noodles, which you can find in the foreign section of your grocery store labeled rice vermicelli.  This mei fun is light and healthy, and has a beautiful, mild sauce.  I used frozen peas this time, but you can really use any vegetable combination you prefer... celery, broccoli, snow peas, asparagus, etc.  I'll never forget my little sous chef's reaction the first time I made this dish - she couldn't get enough of it!  Oh, reminisce with me little.  Four years ago... *sigh*  They grow up too quickly.  She looks pretty comfortable with those chopsticks, though!

Quick Shrimp & Vegetable Stir Fry with Jasmine Rice

I am obsessed with my griddle.  It was a gift from my lovely mother last Christmas, and I honestly don't know how I survived without it before!  This past spring and summer, I have literally cooked 90% of my meals on it.  I especially enjoy making stir fry on the griddle because there is much more cooking surface to work with.  In this stir fry, I used freshly picked organic zucchini from the garden, and all of the other ingredients used were organic, with the exception of the Jasmine rice.  I still have some left in my pantry from before we started switching to organic ingredients.  

This happens to be week 4 of switching to organic ingredients.  I've also made the switch to organic shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, soap, etc., but I'll spare you the details since this is a food blog and all.  I'll admit, there have been times here and there that I've cheated for the sake of convenience.  I can't always drive 20 minutes to Wegmans when I run out of bread and my daughter wants a sandwich stat.  I guess that will all come with better planning on my part.  It has definitely been a fun learning experience.  We also still have more items in our fridge and pantry that we have to use up before we switch those over to organics, but I'm excited to see our progress thus far.  

Asian Salmon Burgers with Orange-Ginger Slaw

School is out and we've been busy enjoying the beautiful weather, so blogging has kind of taken a little backseat these past two weeks.  These salmon burgers are a great summer meal because they're easy, delicious and ready in 15 minutes!  You don't have to spend copious amounts of time prepping and cooking, so you can spend more time with family and friends.  Happy Saturday!

NY Strip Steak & Chicken Stir Fry with Jasmine Rice

Here's another goodie that's going on the "My Favorite Recipes" page!  My little sous chef closed her eyes and said, "Mm!  Oh, this is good!  *chomp*  Mm!  *smack*  I want to eat this every day!"  My husband pounded his fist on the table and shouted, "This is darn good!  We need to have this once a week!"  Not gonna lie - that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  Believe it or not, this was the first time that it occurred to me to use my griddle to stir fry on.  I've stir fried in a wok and in a large skillet before with ease, but stir frying on the griddle offers so much more cooking surface.  Yes, it can make a big ol' mess in the kitchen if you're not careful, but let me tell you - it's so worth it!  The steak and chicken are sinfully succulent and the fried jasmine rice with veggies is amazingly delicious.  Make sure you leave enough for leftovers... it's even better!  

Note:  I find that using two spatulas while cooking the fried rice helps to keep the mess to a minimum.  

Asian Mahogany Shrimp with Asparagus & Shiitake Mushrooms

It was a mounds-of-dishes-from-the-night-before-that-I-was-too-tired-to-clean-because-the-dishwasher-was-full-of-clean-dishes-that-I-didn't-want-to-put-away-either type of morning.  Fast forward 8 hours of a crazy work day, and those same dishes were still there.  Amazing.  I was done working for the day, so I rolled up my sleeves, turned up some music, and got to cleaning.  I stepped back to admire my sparkling kitchen and thought to myself, "I have all these clean dishes and a counter you could eat off of - why don't I mess it up by making dinner?"  *sob*  I begrudgingly start grabbing pots and pans, and gathering ingredients.  But something happened that always seems to happen to me.  In a sort of magical way, messing up the kitchen with food becomes almost therapeutic.  It's like playing with food puts me in a good mood (sounds like a country song!).  That's probably why I always end up having some sort of dinner made for my family every night, regardless of how my day went.  

Having a food blog is not only about cooking and coming up with recipes, it's also about photography.   If the food doesn't look appetizing, chances are, no one's going to want to make it.  I'd say once or twice a week, my family will be eating at the table... behind me while I'm snapping pictures of what they're eating.  A lot of times when I'm taking photos of the food we're eating, I have a sense of urgency to hurry so I can sit down with them and enjoy the food at the same time.  So, I made this mahogany shrimp last night.  I was having one of those days and I just couldn't get the shot that I wanted of it.  I'm frustrated and trying to hurry to get the shot and, in the midst of all that frustration, I hear my little sous chef behind me going, "Mm!  Mm!  *smack, chomp, smack*  This is so good!  Mm!".  I stop, put my camera down, sit down at the table, and smile.  Priorities.  The photo may not have been a hit with me, but this mahogany shrimp sure was a hit with my family.  The mahogany sauce is so good that I'm putting it into my meal rotation possibly weekly.  It would be wonderful with chicken and broccoli, too!  

Baked Crab Rangoon Dip & Homemade Wonton Chips

Last night was a big night for us.  Eagles versus Cowboys for a chance to go to the playoffs.  I was cautiously optimistic, but if history is a good predictor of the future, at the very least, I was going to have something good to snack on!  I had made our favorite crab cakes for dinner and found myself with some leftover crab.  After some thought, I decided to turn one of my favorite appetizers into a dip.  This crab rangoon dip doesn't disappoint!  It's creamy, delicious and tastes just like my favorite Chinese takeout's crab rangoons.  The homemade wontons are airy, crisp and super easy to make.

As for the game, it was a nail biter as usual, but it tuned out to be a thing of beauty!  I'm already thinking about what to make for the playoff game against the Saints!

Pad Thai with Chicken, Shrimp & Tofu

Tied for my number one food weakness in life are sushi and pad Thai.  Whenever I absolutely love a certain dish at a restaurant, I always work to recreate it at home.  Recreating sushi is easy but pad Thai has been another story for me.  I have tried many variations of pad Thai but they have all fallen short of my favorite Asian restaurant's version... until now.  While all of the ingredients have their own important roll in the sauce, I think it is the ratio of the coconut milk, peanut butter and fish sauce that makes this so good!  

Pork Wonton Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms

My favorite time of year is upon us.  Yesterday was the first day that my air conditioners were silenced to allow the fresh, cool air dance around inside my home.  A lot of people try to hold on to summer as long as they possibly can but I always find myself anxious to embrace autumn.  In the spirit of fall, I decided to make one of my family's favorite soups last night.  The word wonton literally means "swallowing clouds", which is very fitting as they resemble little puffs of clouds floating in the soup.  This savory soup is fun to assemble and delicious!

Note:  Both the wonton wrappers and pork mixture freeze very well.  You can freeze them separately or you can assemble the wontons ahead of time and then freeze them.  In either case, they will keep for up to four months in the freezer. 

Pork Pot Stickers

My husband has been asking me to make pot stickers for the last month and it wasn't until this past weekend that I was able to finally make them.  These pot stickers are so tasty and well-worth the time and effort.

Please be sure to read the directions carefully before making these as there is risk of burning yourself with spattering hot oil if you are not prepared.

Sesame Chicken

One Year Ago:   Parmesan-Garlic Summer Vegetable and Italian Sausage Pasta

My husband suggested sesame chicken for dinner one night this past week.  The last time I blogged about sesame chicken, my daughter and I really enjoyed it but my husband was not very fond of it.  I thought I would switch things up quite a bit with the recipe and, while this does not use traditional Asian ingredients, it definitely yielded wonderful flavor!  The verdict?  My husband loved it!  Success!

Asian-Style Surf and Turf Kabobs

One Year Ago:  Creamy Tomato-Basil Campanelle with Shrimp and Asparagus

I knew ahead of time that my busy little schedule was going to cut entirely too close to dinner, so I marinated the beef, shrimp and vegetables in my favorite Asian-style marinade in the morning before I walked out the door.  By the time I got home, the kabobs were ready to be thrown on the grill and dinner was served in 10 minutes.  The steak was medium, the shrimp were cooked perfectly and the vegetables were crisp-tender.  Every time we eat kabobs, we enjoy them so much and wonder why we don't have them more often. 

Thai Red Curry Shrimp

One Year Ago:  Baked Lemon-Basil Haddock

For the remainder of the month (and part of the next), my life schedule is going to be crazy.  Between appointments, work, the end of the school year, family stuff and a soon-to-be addition to our family (my brother and sister-in-law), I really need quick and easy meals like this one.  This can be made in under 30 minutes and, if you are a fan of curry, I'm sure you'll love this.  Here's to keeping my blog smoothly running conjointly with the millions of other things I have planned! 

Spicy Salmon Sushi Bowl

Welcome to the 3rd edition of "Fridge Fridays"

The purpose of "Fridge Fridays" is to share with you how I use leftovers from my fridge to create a meal.  

The Leftovers

Cooked Salmon:  I had some leftover from a yummy salmon dinner we had this week.

Rice:  We always seem to have leftover white rice hanging around in the fridge.