Posted in Recipes on 07/28/2010 07:32 pm by crazy_girl
Get ready:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 cups long grain rice
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2lb broccoli florets, blanched
- 2 Tsp butter
- 2 Tsp flour
- 3 cup whole milk
- 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 Tsp butter, cubed
- salt and black pepper
Now let’s play:
Bring 4 cups of chicken stock to broil. Pour in the rice, stir, and simmer for 20 minutes. Then use a fork to fluff the rice up. Set aside. Heat up olive oil in a saute pan. Add cubed chicken breasts with garlic. Season with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Cook through, and then set aside. In a sauce pan, melt 2 Tsp of butter, and then whisk in flour till there is no lump. Pour in milk. Add Cheddar and Parmesan when milk is warm (should never not be broiled). Whisk till the sauce runs smooth. Season up with salt and pepper to taste. Combine cooked rice, chicken, broccoli, and sauce in a large bowl. Pour into a 9*13 baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs and cubed butter on the top. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes or till the top is golden brown. Let the casserole for 15 minutes on the countertop before serving (about 8 servings).
After-play thoughts:
I prefer using white pepper here, as it’s more aesthetically appealing and has a more blend-in peppery flavor.
Posted in Recipes on 06/15/2010 06:37 am by crazy_girl
Get ready:
- 4 lb red potatoes, quartered
- 4 extra large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 2 Tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 onion, minced
- 2 Tsp dried dill
- salt and black pepper to taste
Now let’s play:
Put quartered potatoes and eggs in a large sauce pan. Cover with salted water by one inch. Bring to broil and then let simmer for 5 minutes or till potatoes and eggs are cooked through. Drain the water, take out the eggs, transfer potatoes to a large vessel, and stir in minced onion immediately. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Shell, chop, and stir in the eggs when cooled. Serve room temperature or chilled (about 8 servings).
After-play thoughts:
Stirring in the onion immediately into hot potatoes is to cook onion a little, so the taste of onion is more well-blended into the salad.
Posted in Recipes on 06/01/2010 12:42 pm by crazy_girl
Get ready:
- 1 Tsp olive oil
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cubed
- 4 Tsp butter
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 Tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed
Now let’s play:
Cut the sheet of puff pastry into quarters, and bake in a 400F oven for 15-20 minutes or till it’s all puffed up. Meanwhile, heat up olive oil in a saute pan while seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper. Saute chicken till juice runs clear. Take out chicken and set aside. Melt butter in the same pan. Saute diced carrots with parsley, oregano, and a pinch of salt for 5 minutes. Dust in flour and whisk till it’s fully combined with the carrots. Pour in chicken stock and whisk vigorously till there is no lump. Stir in the peas and milk. Bring it to boil. Then turn off the heat. Stir in chopped onion. Wait for 5 minutes. Season to taste. Place one square of puffed pastry on a plate, slit the top open, serve the chicken mix in and out the pastry as the pastry is a serving device (about 4 servings).
After-play thoughts:
Chicken pot pie always brings the cozy feeling as it’s one of the home-cooking classics. This recipe puts an elegant twist on the classic dish, and fool-prove.
Posted in Recipes on 05/18/2010 10:32 am by crazy_girl
Get ready:
- 5 Tsp canola oil
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 1/2 cup wild rice
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 4 gloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tsp dried oregano
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 lb bok choy, sliced 1/4 inch thin
- 1 pepperoni link, 8oz, quartered and and sliced 1/4 inch thin
- salt and pepper
Now let’s play:
Heat up 2 Tsp canola oil in a 3qt or bigger sauce pan. Saute diced onion with a pinch of salt until it’s translucent. Add garlic, dried oregano, and two types of rice. Stir for one minute. Add Chicken stock, bring to broil, and let it simmer for 20 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Heat up 2 Tsp oil in a large heated wok. Add thinly sliced bok choy and a pinch of salt. Stir till all the leaves are slightly welted. Add pepperoni and stir for one minute. Add cooked rice and sprinkle the last 1 Tsp oil over the rice mix. Stir fry till it all come together. Turn off heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
After-play thoughts:
This is a fusion version of a traditional Shanghaiese smoked sweet sausage fried rice. However, it tastes distinguishingly different as pepperoni has, rather a sweet taste, a strong salty flavor.
Posted in Recipes on 04/13/2010 01:56 am by crazy_girl
Get ready:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
- 2/3 cup dried cranberries
Now let’s play:
Cream butter in a stand mixer at medium-high speed for 2 minutes. Add sugar, and mix till sugar is well cut into butter. Add eggs, and mix till well incorporated. Shift together flour, baking powder and salt. Pour 1/3 of the mix into the mixer bowl. Mix at low speed till there is no flour lump visible. Repeat with the rest. Stir in the almonds and dried cranberries. Divide the dough onto two half sheet pans, and shape them into logs. Bake at 350F for 40 min. Then take pans out of the oven and let them cool slightly. Cut the logs into 1-inch wide wedges. Place the the wedges on the pans with cut side facing down. Bake for another 15 min.
After-play thoughts:
Posted in Recipes on 03/23/2010 06:56 pm by crazy_girl
Get ready:
- 3 Tsp canola oil
- Meat of a 3-lb rotisserie chicken, chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 Tsp ground cumin
- 1 Tsp chili powder
- 2 14-oz cans of diced tomato
- 16 corn tortillas
- 3 Tsp canola oil
- 1 Tsp flour
- 3 Tsp chili powder
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 14-oz can of tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar
- 1 cup shredded Pepper Jack
- salt & pepper
Now let’s play:
Heat up oil in a large saute pan. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin and chili powder. Saute till onion is translucent. Add chicken and diced tomato. Cook through. Then set aside. In a sauce pan, heat up the other 3 Tsp of oil and whisk in flour till well combined. Add the next five ingredients and cook through. Microwave tortillas for 30 seconds while setting oven temperature to 350F. Ladle some sauce into a large roasting pan to cover the bottom. Roll up a tortilla with about 4-6 Tsp of chicken mix and place it in the roasting pan. Repeat with the rest. Pour the rest of sauce over rolled-up tortillas and sprinkle cheese on the top. Transfer into the oven and cook till cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. Cool for 15 minutes then serve (about 8 servings).
After-play thoughts:
I don’t recommend making too many ahead of time as tortillas can get mushy after sitting in the sauce too long even when refrigerated.
Posted in Recipes on 03/09/2010 08:05 am by crazy_girl
Get ready:
- 1 rotisserie chicken meat, roughly chopped
- 2 Tsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium celery, sliced
- 3 carrots, halved and sliced
- 1 lb lentil, rinsed and drained
- 1 Tsp dried tarragon
- 8 cups chicken stock
- salt and pepper
Now let’s play:
Heat up oil in a large stock pot. Add diced onion and a pinch of salt; saute for 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots; saute for another 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to broil. Add lentil and let simmer for 25 minutes or until tender. Stir in chicken meat and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve (6-8 servings).
After-play thoughts:
This is soup is great for chili weather, busy schedule, or weight control.
Posted in Recipes on 02/23/2010 05:25 pm by crazy_girl
Get ready:
- 2 1-lb pork tenderloins
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/2 olive oil
- 1 Tsp dried tarragon leaves
- 1 Tsp pepper
- 2 Tsp garlic powder
- 2 Tsp olive oil
Now let’s play:
Combine all ingredients in a large ziploc bag and marinade for 2 hours in the fridge. When time is up, heat up oil in a large cast iron skillet and sear all sides of tenderloins till golden brown. Then place the skillet in a 400F oven for 8-10 minutes till pork is cooked through. Slice and serve (4-6 servings).
After-play thoughts:
Leave the pork tenderloins in the marinade too long can overwhelm the nature taste of pork. If you have to, take the pork tenderloins out of the marinade after 1 hour and place them in a covered container without rinsing.
Posted in Recipes on 02/09/2010 01:45 am by crazy_girl
Get ready:
- 1.5lb ground beef
- 2 Tsp canola oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 Tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground cayenne
- 1 Tsp dried cilantro
- 1 14oz can tomato sauce
- 1 16oz can black beans, drained
- 40 tortilla chips
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper
Now let’s play:
Heat up canola oil in a large saute pan. Season ground beef with salt and pepper. Brown and break apart the beef with a spatula till no longer red. Add onion and saute for another 3 minutes. Add chili powder, ground cumin, and ground cayenne. Saute for another 2 minutes. Add beans and tomato sauce. Cook for 3 minutes. Fold in dried cilantro leaves. Spread tortilla chips at the bottom of a large roasting pan. Spoon on half of cooked mixture on top of the chips evenly. Top off with cheese and scatter jalapeno slices over the cheese. Place the whole thing under a broiler (set on high) for about 3-5 minutes or until cheese melted. To serve, using a lasagna server to scoop out a small portion onto a plate. Then scoop out another small portion and lay it on top of the previous scooped out portion, so each serving has two layers. You can make another batch of nachos with the other half of cooked mix, or store it for later use (about 2-4 dinner servings).
After-play thoughts:
It’s a quite lean dish if you opt for 90% or above lean ground beef.
