Thursday, October 23, 2014

doTerra essential oils

I just came across doTerra and I am interested in incorporating it into my cooking.. So stay tune 
You can visit my doTerra site 


Thursday, October 16, 2014

Witch Hat

These are by far the easiest treat to make for the kids during Halloween. 

Ingredients: 
1 pack Keebler stripe fudge cookies ( you can use OREO but I find it's too thick) 
1 pack Hershey's kisses 
1 tube of frosting --- you can use the one in the can but I just find it gets pretty messy 

Sprinkles 

Take 1 Hershey's kisses and dab it with the frosting ... I use the chocolate side of the cookie. 

Then sprinkle with some Halloween sprinkle ... Wala 

Enjoy!! 



Sunday, October 12, 2014

White Chocolate Bread Pudding


White chocolate bread pudding 

Ingredients: 
6 cups whipping cream
2 cups of milk
1 cup sugar
20 oz of white chocolate broken into small pieces
3 whole eggs
15 egg yolks
2 loaves of stale French bread, sliced into 1 inch thick pieces
preheat oven to 350; in a huge stock pot,
hat cream, milk and sugar over medium heat.
When hot, take off heat and add white chocolate pieces and stir until it all melted and incorporated. 
Combine eggs and egg yolks
Pour slowly into cream. 
Layer the bread, pour over sliced bread and squish.. Let it sit for awhile before baking. I usually let it sit for about 10 minutes. 
Bake: 
1 hour with foil on
½ hour with foil off
SAUCE: 
16 oz white chocolate
1 cup whipping cream
melt, stir and pour over served hot bread pudding
garnish with shaved chocolate and slivered almonds!! 
Enjoy!! 


Shaved White Chocolate


Letting it soak before I bake 

Right from the oven.. I added silvered almond on top 


Chicken Pot Pie

I have always wanted to make this dish. Every time I go to KFC I would buy one. But lately the KFC by my house is closed. So now I have to learn how to make one.. I started with an easy version and maybe some day I would use a puff pastry or make my own pastry. This time I used the chicken from my bake chicken (I just shredded the whole chicken) and I used 2 can of chicken soup with herbs instead of using the flour and milk version. 

Ingredients: 
1 chicken shredded --I shredded 1 whole chicken ( I like it with just cubed up chicken breast more--- the chicken holds better when you use cubed chicken breast-- just remember if you are using cubed chicken breast ...you need to cook it longer if you aren't precooked got first) 
1 stick butter 
3 stalk of celery-chopped 
1 small onion-chopped 
1 bag of veggies (frozen section-carrots, peas, green beans and corn) 
2 can of cream of chicken soup with herbs 
1 can chicken broth (low sodium) 
2 cup milk 
1 C of grand flaky biscuit 
1/2 tsp garlic powder 
Pepper 
Dash of salt--because the chicken soup is already salty-and the biscuit also 


Deep baking dish
Preheat oven to 350 


Direction: 
In a big sauté pan.. Sauté up the onion and celery with the 1 stick butter. Cook until it's translucent and then throw in your shredded chicken... Pour in the 2 can of cream of chicken soup with herb, chicken broth and milk. Turn heat down to medium low and add all your seasoning.. you don't really need seasoning because the cream of chicken soup is very flavorful. Taste to see if it's to your liking.. Remember not to add to much salt because the biscuit is kinda salty. 
Cook for about 5-10 minutes.. Making sure everything is incorporated. If you are using raw cubed chicken breast..then you must make sure it's cooked longer and the chicken is cooked!! Because when it's in the oven..you aren't really cooking up the chicken mixture because the biscuit cook up really fast. 



Next pour the chicken mixture into a deep baking dish and spread out evenly. Place your biscuit on top of the chicken mixture... Try to place the biscuit next to each other. I would half the biscuit into 2 per biscuit... So that it would bake all the way through. In top of each biscuit.. Put a pat of butter on top of each biscuit so the biscuit would have that buttery taste and crunch ;) 

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Depending on your oven.. Just make sure it's golden brown. 

Enjoy!!! 









Friday, October 10, 2014

Roast Beef Sandwich (chuck roast)

We LOVE LOVE this sandwich. Every chance I get ... I make it.. It's delicious and easy. I usually serve ours with cole slaw on top... Lightly mayo and mustard.

When I have left overs...I usually eat it with mash potato or on top of a bake potato ;)

Ingredients: 
2 huge piece of CHUCK ROAST --cut into 4 pieces or cube (making it cook faster and easier to shredded)

1 chopped onion 
6 cloves of garlic --minced 
1 package of Lipton onion mix 
1 TBS garlic powder 
1 tsp Tony Chachere's (you can use salt) 
1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce 
1 tsp pepper 
1 tsp sugar 
2 C water mixed with 2 tsp cornstarch 

Mix all the ingredients in the crockpot then place the CHUCK ROAST in the crockpot. 
Turn on high for 8hrs 

About midway..turn the chuck roast so that it can cook evenly.. 

Right before serving.. Taking a fork and shredded the meat out. 

We love to eat ours on little mini buns with cole slaw and a little mayo and mustards!!! 

Enjoy!!! 







Thursday, October 9, 2014

Chicken Eggplant

Chicken eggplant 

ingredients:

1 pound eggplant, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces 

1 TBS  cornstarch, mixed with
2 TBS water, to make a paste (set as) 

I fried up these eggplant with a little oil..I just add some oil to a pan and throw in the eggplant .. 

Sauce:
2 TBS oyster sauce 
2  TBs lite soy sauce (don't use the dark..it's really SALTY) 
1 C water
1 TBS rice wine vinegar
1 TBS granulated sugar
1 tsp black bean garlic sauce 
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper 
1/2 tsp garlic powder 

4 stalk of sliced green onion (white and green part) 
1/2 small onion --chopped 
4 cloves of garlic--minced 
2 Carrots-- peeled and cut into little pieces 
1 TBS minced ginger 
1 pound chicken breast--I minced my own from 2 huge piece of chicken breast--- you can use ground chicken 

DIRECTION: 

In a little bowl combine all the sauce ingredients to make your sauce--mixing well and set aside. 

In a wok, add a little oil and fry the eggplant for about 4 minutes.. Remove eggplant and drain on paper towels. You shouldn't have a lot of oils since we just stir fry them. You can deep fry them if you prefer.. It would make it more crunchy. 

Meanwhile add a little more oil into your wok and start to  stir-fry garlic, onion, ginger and minced chicken. Next add your carrots and fried eggplant.. Cook for about 5 minutes then add your sauce. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook for a couple of minutes then add your 1 cup of water. Then to thicken the sauce you add in the cornstarch/water paste. 
Garnish with sliced green onion. 

Serve immediately with white rice 
My husband and I love it spicy so we add about 2 tsp of chili sauce. 

Enjoy!!! 




Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Sweet and Tangy Meatball

My kids LOVE THIS STUFF!! Especially my 9yr old daughter... She is always requesting this for her meal.
This is one of my staple that I make for all parties. 

Ingredients: 
1/2 bag of premade/precook meatball (you can get at Sam's in the freezer department) 
2 jar TOMATO BASIL spaghetti sauce 
1/2 C strawberry jam 
1/2 t garlic powder 
1/4 t Tony Chachere's 

I usually mix all the ingredients together then add the meatballs and give it a quick stir. 


Throw everything in crockpot for 4hrs on LOW... 

We love it with the Hawaiian sweet bread.. 


***you can sprinkle with Parmesan cheese when you eat it but we like it just plan and simple*** 

Enjoy!!! 




Steak

Ingredients: 
1/2 C Korean Marinate
1 t garlic powder 
1 t honey (you can use brown sugar if you want..I didn't have any on hand) 
Pepper 

***you can get the Korean Marinate at any Asian store. I use this marinate for almost everything!!! 


Marinate for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator ..if you can marinate over night it would be a lot better. 

I didn't grill today so I just took out a grill pan and cooked it on the stove.. I cooked on high and sear both side then suck it in the over at 350 for another 15 minutes.. Perfectly PINK inside.  

I made a garlic butter as my sauce ... 
The sauce is already very flavorful so I didn't need A1 or any steak sauce. 


I love to eat it with garlic butter mushroom and steam broccoli. 
Enjoy!!! 




Friday, October 3, 2014

Ranch Chicken

This has got to be the easiest chicken dinner I have ever made and yet its super flavorful.  Using a grease baking pan. I washed my drum stick ...and pat it dry with some paper towels then I spread a little butter over every drum stick and sprinkle generously with Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning. Then I sprinkle with some Tony Chachere's and cracked black pepper.  Cover the chicken and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes COVERED and UNCOVERED and bake for another 45 minutes.... garnish with some chopped green onions...


Served with some yellow rice or rice pilaf...its delicious!!!


ENJOY!!!





INGREDIENTS:
10 drum sticks
Butter 
2 Tablespoons Hidden Valley Ranch
1 teaspoon Tony Chachere's
1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

GREASED baking pan with a little Pam 

preheat over to 350.... bake for 1 to 1:15 minutes...depending on your oven...my kids like it falling off the bones ;)


Garnish with chopped green onions




Shrimp Toast

My kids love shrimp toast and everytime we are a Chinese Restaurant we would order them...its just I am not a huge fan because they DEEP FRY it and I like to make it a little healthier for them since they eat it so much.


Ingredients:
2 lb of shrimps peels and devein
1 stalk of celery
1 small onion chopped
1 egg
4 minced garlic
1 can of water chestnuts---drained
1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 sesame oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black bean garlic sauce
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp Tony Chachere
1 stalk of green onion
1/2 tsp sugar
pepper




1 loaf of french bread--cut at an angle
PREHEAT OVEN to 350

DIRECTION:
Take a baking sheet and LIGHTLY grease with a little PAM so that your bread don't stick.

Take shrimp and minced it with a knife then set aside.

Next, I add all ingredients (EXCEPT the MINCED shrimp)  into a food processor and pulse it a few times ...then I add the minced shrimp and mix well (You don't want your shrimps to be watery ...that is why you just minced it separately)

Then you take your shrimp mixture and spread it on top of each sliced bread and lay it on the baking sheet...once you are done..bake at 350 for around 30-45 minutes....depends on how big your sliced bread is....

garnish with sliced green onion
ENJOY!!!





Crockpot Red Beans and Rice

This week has been one of those crazy busy week so ....I took out my trusty crockpot and have been using it religiously for the past few days.  It was suppose to rain today but it didn't :( ....so I thought I would make some comfort food.

Ingredients:
2 lb red beans---I didn't soak this time since I was gonna use the crockpot but usually when I make it on the stove I would soak the beans over night.
14 Cups of water (make sure that the water cover the beans)

1 large bell pepper--chopped
4 stalk celery--chopped
1 large onion--chopped

1 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS onion powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 TBS sugar
2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 bay leaf

1 stick butter--add this last right before I serve


MEATS:
1 lb pickle pork
2 lb hot links
2 lb  cubed salted ham

Garnish:
green onion
parsley
Tabasco sauce ;)



Direction:
I pour the red beans into my crockpot...picking out all the broken ones or funny looking ones ;)
then I rinse with water once and pour that water out. Next I pour enough water to cover my beans and add my diced celery, onion, bell pepper. Then I would add all my spices...garlic powder, onion powder, sugar, crushed red pepper, ground pepper, worcestershire sauce and BAY LEAF.

I dont add any salt until the end because most times my pickle pork and salted cubed ham is salty enough that I don't have to add any salt.

Then I add my pickle pork and cubed ham and COVER and turn on my crockpot ...set it to 8 hrs on low.

If I am home and about half way through I usually stir it around a little so the flavor can incorporate a little. THEN I ADD MY HOT SAUSAGE LINKS---I CUT THEM INTO 3 in PIECES and throw it in. I DONT like to cook it in there at the beginning because it will break up. Then about 7 hrs into my cooking I would take a wooden spoon and take some beans and smash  it against the crockpot so that it can make it a little creamy.

I like to cook my sausage in a pan then just add it on top of my red beans and rice when I am eating it so I cook it separately. I LOVE the Hillshire Farm brand. I usually buy 1 regular and 1 spicy because my kids don't like it too spicy.


When your ready to eat...add the 1 stick of butter in the crockpot and stir around ...this makes a huge difference!!!  Then taste to see if you need to add more salt or seasoning to your red beans.

Serve over white rice and garnish with some sliced parsley and green onions. If you like it SPICY..add some TABASCO sauce. I find that its spicy enough for my family because of the HOT LINKS and the spicy sausage


ENJOY!!!






I like to cook my sausage separately so that I can taste the flavor. 


We love adding HOT LINKS to our red beans and rice...gives it TONS of flavor. 



 Pickle pork pack that I used.. I don't use ham hock :) 

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

BBQ Shrimp

Ingredients:
4 lb shrimp.. Skin and head on 
2 stick of unsalted butter 
1 pack of BBQ shrimp mix (I used the roadhouse brand) 
2 C of white wine 
1 T minced garlic 
1 t sugar 
2 T Worcestershire  sauce 
1/2 tsp Tony Chachere's (only if you are using unsalted butter) 

Garnish:
parsley 
Green onion 
Lemon or lime 
French Bread--great for dipping 

Directions: 
Wash and trim the shrimp (I cut off a little part of the head so the whisker isn't hanging on the head) and set aside. 

In a large pan place the 2 stick of butter in and let it melt. Once the butter melt put in the BBQ season package and minced garlic, white wine, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and Tony Chachere...let it cook down for about 5 minutes on medium low. Then toss in your shrimp.. When shrimp gets pink turn off the stove and plate up with sauce (my favorite part of the shrimp...I love it for dipping my bread) 
Garnish with parsley and green onion. I also like to squeeze in some lemon or lime. 






Bake Salmon

Everytime we go to eat at a Japanese restaurant we ALWAYS ordered the bake salmon. Many times we would order 2 orders because my kids love it so much.
So I came home and wanted to learn how to make it. 

Thank goodness  my kids love this recipe. I think I make it at least once a week now. 

Ingredients: 
1 slab of salmon 
1 pack imitation crab stick 
2 TBS roe eggs 
1/2 bottle of Japanese mayo 

For the Sauce: 
1 C Unagi eel sauce 
2 T brown sugar 
1 T honey 
1/2 C Teriyaki Sauce 
Preheat oven to 350 

Direction: 
I cut the salmon into thin strip. So that I can wrap around the imitation crabmeat mixture. Try to cut it into one long strip. 


For the imitation crabmeat mixture. The imitation crab stick comes individually wrap... So make sure to unwrap each one. Remember to squeeze any excess juice out the crab stick. Next, I cut the imitation crab stick into little pieces. 

Next mix the 1/2 the bottle of mayo into the imitation crabmeat and roe egg mixture. Mix well.. Take an icecream scoop and scoop one full scoop into your baking sheet (remember to grease the baking sheet) I usually line with Reynolds wrap to make cleaning easy. Next take a strip of salmon and wrap around each scoop of crabmeat mixture. 

Now bake at 350 for 30 minutes 

While salmon is baking ...
Take out a sauce pan and make your eel sauce. Pour the eel sauce, teriyaki sauce, honey and brown sugar all in the pan. On medium heat.. Continue to stir until the sauce gets a thick constituency. Turn off stove and set aside. 

Before I turn off the oven.. I usually BROIL the salmon for a few seconds so that it gets that nice CRUSTY top. Be careful and keep a close eye on it.. You don't want to BURN IT!! 

Once your bake salmon is done. Spoon the eel sauce over the bake salmon. 
Serve with jasmine rice. 




BALLS container

Ever since I had kids I always wanted to find things that would help make my life easier. And these little containers do.. When my son was small (6 yrs old now) I made all his baby food .. And I needs something to store them in the freezer and refrigerator. These containers are twisted on cap and the cup snap onto the cap which makes it easy to store. And when your out and about.. It snap on the bottom so you don't have to find a place to put the lid. Also with the kids crazy schedule ... I would pack 4 container with fruits or snack and throw it in my purse. When I am driving they stick it in the cup holder and it fits perfectly!!! 
Love it!! 

You can purchase them online at amazon or Walmart also carries them.