Korean Daikon Pickles

 Korean Daikon Pickles

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cup Water
• 1 1/2 Cup Rice Vinegar
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Turmeric
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 Daikon radish

Instructions:

1. In a medium sauce pan add the water, rice vinegar, sugar, salt and turmeric. 
2. Stir occasionally, over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil and sugar has dissolved. Turn off heat.
3. Peel and cut the Daikon into desired shapes. My husband said he prefers half moons about 1/2cm thick.
4. In a large glass container add the daikon and pour the pickle mixture over the top. Add in the bay leaves.
5. Over and let pickle for at least 2 hours before serving. 
6. Store in fridge, covered for up to 2 months.

Enjoy!

Notes:

Husband liked these pickles, said the taste is close, but not quite right. Next batch I might try with white vinegar instead of rice vinegar.

Alternate Pickle Liquid recipe to try: Same instructions

1/3 Cup Sugar

1/3 cup plus 1 tb white vinegar

1 Tablespoon Kosher salt

1 teaspoon Turmeric

3/4 Cup water

Mustard Mashed Potatoes

Mustard Mashed Potatoes  

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Russet Potatoes

2 1/2 Tablespoons Dijon or whole grain Mustard

1 ish Tablespoons Horseradish 

4 Tablespoons Butter

Salt and Pepper 

Instructions:

1. Peel the potatoes, chop into roughly equal size
2. In a medium pot add the potatoes and fill pot with enough water to just cover potatoes. 
3. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook potatoes until tender and cooked through, 15-30 mins.
4. Drain cooked potatoes and return to now dry pot. 
5. Add butter and mash potatoes with a fork or potato masher.
6. Add mustard, Horseradish and season with salt and pepper. Stir/ mash to combine.
7. For an extra kick add more Horseradish. 
8. Taste the potatoes and adjust seasonings as needed. 

Serve and enjoy! 

Parmesan and Herb Fries

 Parmesan and Herb Fries

Ingredients:

1 Pound potatoes 

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder 

1 Tablespoon Rosemary leaves, dried or fresh

1/4 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F
2. Wash or peel potatoes and cut into fry or tater shapes as desired. 
3. In a large bowl add the cut potatoes, olive oil, garlic powder, Rosemary, parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.
4. Stir or toss potatoes in the bowl to evenly coat with the seasonings. 
5. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. 
6. Pour potatoes onto prepared tray and arrange into a single layer. 
7. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, turn and stir fries and bake for another 20-30 mins until fries are golden brown and cooked through.
8. Leave in oven longer for crisper fries. 

Serve and enjoy. 

Potatoes au Gratin

Potatoes au Gratin

Ingredients:

• 2 Pounds Potatoes
• 1/2 cup Butter
• 1/2 cup Flour
• 1 1/4 Cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheese
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 small Onion, Diced

Instructions:

1. Using a mandolin or expert knife skills, slice Peeled potatoes into thin rounds. 
2. Keep sliced potatoes in a bowl of cold water to prevent browning. 
3. In a medium sauce pan, add the butter and melt over medium heat. 
4. Once butter melts, add the flour and whisk to combine. 
5. Cook butter and flour for 3-5 minutes.
6. Add milk, season with salt and pepper and whisk until everything is combined and smooth. You might need to add a few Tablespoons of water to thin, that's OK. 
7. Cook stirring frequently for 5-8 minutes.
8. Stir in the shredded cheese until melted into the sauce. 
9. Butter or oil a casserole dish and preheat oven to 400°F.
10. Drain and oat potatoe slices dry. They don't need to be bone dry, but not sopping wet either. 
11. Arrange 1/2 of potatoes in the prep ared casserole. Sprinkle the onions over the potatoes and season with salt and pepper all over.
12. Pour half of the cheese sauce over the potatoes and use a spoon to smooth sauce towards the edges of the dish. 
13. Arrange the other half of potatoes on top of the cheese layer, season with salt and pepper and pour the remaining cheese sauce over top and smooth to the edges. 
14. You can garnish the top with extra shredded cheese, bread crumbs, bacon or whatever tickles your potato fancy. 
15. Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, while covered with foil.
16. After an hour, remove foil and bake an additional 20-30 minutes, until top is browned and bubbly.
17. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving, serves 4-6 people.

Enjoy! 

Pico de Gallo

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

• 3-4 Roma Tomatoes
• 1 Small Onion
• 1 Bunch Cilantro
• 1-2 Jalapeno Peppers
• 1 Lime
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1.  Dice the tomatoes, and onion.
2. Finely chop the cilantro and jalapeno.
3. Zest and juice the lime.
4. In a medium bowl add the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime zest and lime juice. 
5. Season well with salt and pepper.
6. Stir to combine. 
7. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.
8. Store in an airtight container for about four days in the fridge.

Notes:

Ok so I literally actually totally do make this all the time. It makes a great salsa, I use it as a condiment for tacos, I make salads for work and use it as both the dressing and extra veggies. The amount of heat can be adjusted, I usually use one small jalapeno pepper and find the spice kick is perfect for me, and I am not very good at handling spice heat.

If Cilantro tastes like soap to you, congratulations, you have a genetic mutation! But this means that no matter what you do, cilantro will taste like soap or perfume so if that is the case then just skip it, and if you really want to add in some herb notes green onions or a little oregano can be substituted in a pinch. 

Quick Pickles

Quick Pickles

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Vinegar (I like Apple Cider Vinegar)
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Black Peppercorns
• 1 Tablespoon Whole Mustard Seeds

Instructions:

1. In a small pot combine all ingredients listed above, stir and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Allow pickling liquid to boil for about 5 minutes, or until all the brown sugar has dissolved.
3. Prepare desired veggies for pickling. About 2 cups of chopped or diced veggies like carrots, pepper, cucumber, radish, daikon, etc. I used 2 carrots cut into matchsticks the last time I made quick pickles, and used them in a falafel wrap.
4. Pour the hot pickling liquid over the veggies in a large bowl or jar.
5. Allow veggies to pickle for at least 15 minutes before using, or pickles can be kept in a sealed container for up to a week in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Gluten Free Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup GF Rolled Oats
• 1 Cup Gluten Free Baking Flour Blend(I'm still using Our Compliments by Sobeys)
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt
• 1 Teaspoon Xantham Gum
• 3 Bananas
• 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 Tablespoon Cinnamon
• 2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 Eggs

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a small loaf pan. 
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the Peeled bananas, and with the paddle attachment cream the bananas to mush. 
3. In a food processor pulse the rolled oats into a fine powder. 
4. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, xantham gum, salt, cinnamon and powdered oats.
5. Add the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract to the stand mixer with the bananas. Cream everything together until relatively smooth. 
6. Pour in the sifted dry ingredients and mix until all the flour is incorporated. 
7. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan
8. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy! 

Bokchoy Stir Fry

Bokchoy Stir Fry

Ingredients:

• 1 Pound Bok Choy
• 2 Clove Garlic, minced
• 2 Green Onion Stalks, sliced into small rounds
• 2 Tablespoons Miso Paste or Soybean Paste
• 2 Teaspoons Gochujang
• Splash Mirin
• 2 Teaspoons Sesame Seeds
• 2 Teaspoon Sesame Oil

Instructions:

1. Slice the root base/bottom off the bokchoy, and then roughly chop the bokchoy.
2. In a pot of boiling salted water, blanch the bokchoy for about 2 minutes, strain and rinse the bokchoy to prevent over cooking.
3. Mix the minced garlic, sliced green onions, soybean paste, gochujang, mirin and seasme oil together in a small bowl to create our dressing.
4. Toss the cooked bokchoy in the dressing, garnish with sesame seeds, and serve.

Enjoy!

Greek Rice with Spinach

Greek Rice with Spinach

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup long grain Rice
• 2 Cups Chicken stock
• 3 ounces chopped wilted Spinach(2-3 frozen spinach nuggets)
• 1 small Onion
• 2-3 cloves Garlic
• 2 tablespoons Greek dressing
• Lemon, zested and juiced
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1. Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. 
2. Heat a medium pot over medium heat. 
3. Add the Greek dressing, chopped onion and minced garlic. 
4. Season with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally until onions begin to soften, about 3-5 minutes. 
5. Add the uncooked rice and stir for two minutes to toast the rice. 
6. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. 
7. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. 
8. Stir in the spinach, and cover and continue to simmer until all the water is absorbed. 
9. Remove pot from heat and keep covered for 5 minutes. 
10. Add lemon Zest and Fluff with a fork before serving. Drizzle lemon juice to taste.
11. Can also be garnished with fresh herbs, feta, olives etc.

Enjoy!

Bean Sprout Stir Fry

Bean Sprout Stir Fry

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cups Fresh Bean Sprouts
• 1/4 Cup Sliced Green Onion
• 2-3 Cloves Minced Garlic
• 2 Teaspoons Soy Sauce
• 2 Teaspoons Sesame Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Sesame Seeds for garnish

Instructions:

1. Rinse the bean sprouts under running water and then transfer to a bowl filled with cool water for at least five minutes. Strain the bean sprouts from the water and allow excess water to drain away.
2. Heat the Sesame oil in a medium sized skillet over a low-medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add the bean sprouts and cook for 1-2 minutes stirring constantly. Add the sliced green onion and cook for one minute more.
3. Just before serving, season with soy sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish top with Sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

Notes:

This dish makes a great veggie side for almost any Asian meal, or inside the Korean wraps recipe I added just the other day.

A key step in this recipe is letting the bean sprouts soak in the cool water. This allows the bean sprouts to drink up some fresh water so they get that nice crisp veggie texture. Otherwise they might be a bit soft and not as delicious.

Green Onion Asian Pancakes

Green Onion Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 Cups Flour
• 1 Cup Water
• 8 Green Onion stalks, thinly sliced
• Salt
• Sesame Oil

Dip:

• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 tsp powdered garlic

Instructions:

1. In a medium sized bowl using a fork mix together 1 cup of water with 1 cup of flour, slowly adding in as much flour as possible. Knead in more flour until dough is firm and not sticky. Oil the outside of the dough with a sesame oil, cover and let rest 30 minutes.
2. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions.
3. Working with one portion at a time and keeping the remaining dough covered, roll a dough portion into a large rectangle roughly 1/8 of an inch thick or thinner if possible. 
4. Oil the top of the rectangle with sesame oil, season lightly with salt and sprinkle one of the sliced green onion stalks over the entire rectangle. 
5. Starting at the long end of the rectangle carefully and tightly roll the rectangle into a snake-rope shape. 
6. Cut the long rope in two, and coil each half up into a flat circle, like a snail shell. Use a rolling pin to flatten the circle and help it keep the round shape. 
7. Repeat with the other dough rope.
8. Repeat above process with all dough portions.
9. Heat a skillet to medium heat and lightly oil the pan.
10. Cook each pancake for about 2 minutes a side until golden brown.
11. Serve warm, with the dip recipe listed above if desired.
12. Makes 8 pancakes, great as a snack or as a side.

Enjoy!

Notes:

These were so tasty, I made them quite a while ago and might have forgotten about them a bit. I think I will try these again sometime real soon.

Other Places:

What was cooking one year ago?

Steak au Poivre

What was cooking two years ago?

Sundried Tomato Sausages

Stuffed Mushrooms

Stuffed Roasted Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 1 Box Stove Top for Turkey
• 1 Cup water
• 1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
• 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 1/2-3/4 Cup Chopped Bacon Bits
• Parmesan Cheese, shredded to garnish tops
• 1 Pound button Mushrooms, washed and dried, stems popped out

Instructions:

1. In a large microwave save bowl heat the stove top and water together for 2 minutes, stirring part way through. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
2. Stir in the mozzarella, cheddar and bacon bits. Blend evenly.
3. Press the stuffing mixture into the mushroom caps, and place in a large shallow baking dish, stuffing side up.
4. Mushrooms can be prepared up to a day ahead, and chilled in fridge until ready to serve.
5. To serve, preheat oven to 365°F. Bake mushrooms in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until mushrooms are browned, cheese is melted and everything looks toasty.

Enjoy!

Notes:

I know stove top is an odd ingredient for me to have on my blog, I typically avoid all pre-packaged ingredients, buuuuut this is a family favorite and it is pretty great. Rules are meant to be broken when its worth it so cheers! This is my mothers recipe, she has been making it for all holiday functions since i was quite small. My cousins, aunts and uncles all love it, and will fight for prime positions when they are baking to be sure they get one before they all vanish. I think a few of the now vegetarian cousins even break and eat them bacon and all, because they are so good.

Other Places:

Another Family Favorite

Cheese Ball

Spaetzle

Spaetzel

The German solution to pasta night

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Flour
• 1/4 Cup Milk
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg
• Salt and Pepper
• Large Pot salted Boiling water
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• Lemon wedges and parsley to garnish

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl sift together the flour and nutmeg and season well with salt and pepper.
2. Whisk the eggs together.
3. Whisk the eggs and milk alternatively into the flour mixture until smooth and evenly blended.
4. Bring a skillet to heat over medium.
5. Force and push the "dough" through a sieve with large holes, at least 1/2 cm diameter into boiling water. Cook for 5-8 minutes, when the little bits are floating and feel like a cooked pasta. Strain Spaetzel from water
6. Melt butter in the heated skillet, add the drained spaetzel and saute for 3-5 minutes, until golden.
7. Transfer to a serving plate, with lemon wedges and fresh chopped parsley.

Enjoy!

Notes:

Never forget the nutmeg! It is a key flavor in so many things.

Seriously.

Add Nutmeg

Stir Fried Corn and Leek with Fresh Basil

Stir Fried Corn and Leek with Fresh Basil

The cumin really helps balance out the natural sweetness in the corn, without adding too much heat to the finished dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups corn (4 Ears Shucked and cleaned)
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1-2 Leek Stalks, white and soft green parts only
• Salt and Pepper
• 2-3 Tablespoons Fresh Basil, chopped
• 1-2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Instructions:

1. Heat the butter (or vegetable oil) in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Slice the leek, and add to the skillet and cook down until tender and slightly wilted. 3-5 minutes. Season with cumin, salt and pepper.
3. Add the corn and stir fry until corn is heated through and tender, only about 5-10 minutes.
4. Stir in the fresh basil and drizzle the lemon juice over top.
5. Serves roughly 4.

Enjoy!

Other Places:

What was cooking one year ago?

Homemade Cheeseburger Helper

Steamed Pork Buns

Steamed Pork Buns

Wont lie, these were a fair bit of work, but it was totally worth it in the end!

Ingredients:

Bun Dough

• 1 Tablespoon Dry Active Yeast
• 1 Teaspoon Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Flour
• 1/4 Cup Warm Water
• 1/2 Cup Flour
• 1/2 Cup Warm Water
• 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil Plus Extra to coat dough
• 1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

Filling

• 1/2 Pound Pork loin, ground or you can fry a whole cutlet and chop it after

Marinade

• 2-4 Cloves Garlic
• 2-3 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 2-3 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
• 2-3 Tablespoons Ketchup
• 2-3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1-2 Tablespoons Honey
• 2 Tablespoons Mirin
• 2-3 Tablespoons Chinese Five Spice Powder

Other:

• Large Lettuce or cabbage leaves to create a nice base to steam the buns upon.

Special Tools:

Bamboo steamer, or another steamer large enough to give the buns about an inch of space apart and about 2 inches of rise room above.

Optional: 

Red Food Coloring*

*To make it look more like the take out buns. I do not bother adding fake color to my food ever. This is also why I have no recipe for anything "red velvet" flavor, because the plain chocolate version is always better. Boooooo to extra food coloring. But if you want it, feel free to do what you like in your own kitchen without judgement from me. You do you babe.

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl mix together the ingredients for the marinade. Finely mince or grate the garlic and stir in the rice vinegar, Hoisin sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, honey, mirin(Or white sugar), and the Chinese Five Spice. Stir well to mix evenly. Stir in the food coloring if you want to.
2. Reserve about 1/4 Cup of the marinade sauce and set in the fridge for the time being.
3. Marinade the pork in the remaining marinade mixture for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
4. In a large bowl stir together the yeast, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1/4 cup of flour and 1/4 cup of warm water. Set aside and allow the yeast to activate for 30 minutes.
5. Sift together the remaining 1 1/2 cups of flour with the salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar.
6. After the yeast has activated for 30 minutes stir in the sifted flour mixture along with the 1/2 cup of warm water and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
7. Turn out dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead until dough is smooth, elastic and evenly blended together. This takes at least 5 minutes but usually closer to 10 minutes.
8. Lightly oil the surface of the dough ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel that has been soaked in water and wrung out. Set to rise for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
9. While the dough is rising, cook the pork loin. I used pork chops, and quick fried them in my cast iron skillet on the stove, and then chopped the cooked pork chops into small bits. But if you used ground pork, you can drain off the excess marinade and scramble fry the pork in a skillet. Either way you want to end up with marinaded meat that is fully cooked at the end!
10. After the dough has risen, uncover and gently punch down the center of the dough and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.
11. Turn out the dough on a lightly floured work surface and flatten gently. Sprinkle the baking powder over top of the dough and knead for 5 minutes.
12. Set up your steamer and bring it to a rolling boil. Ensure that about 1-2 inches of water remain in the water pot at all times while steaming.
13. Divide the dough in half. Cover the half that is not being worked with with the damp kitchen towel.
14. Divide the dough half into 8-10 ping-pong ball sized sections. Flatten each section in your hand into a small disk, add about 1/2-1 tablespoon of filling to center of the dough, and fold the edges up. So you have a smooth bottom and then on top arrange the edges into a star or flower kind of pattern and pinch well to seal.
15. Finish filling the remaining divided sections.
16. Line the bottom of the steamer basket with lettuce or cabbage leaves. Arrange the buns on top of the leaves leaving 1-2 inches between each bun. Steam with the lid on for 15 minutes.
17. Repeat dividing, filling and steaming procedure with the second half of the dough.
18. Prepared buns can be kept warm in a barely heated oven until all the buns are cooked.

Enjoy!

Notes:

There is something that just feels right about a home made Chinese feast in January. I know it is a weird kind of tradition to have but it is one that works well for me. Plus my friends who were invited to join me also weren't complaining.

Other Places:

Goes well with

Fried Rice

Home Made Corn Tortillas and Variations

Home Made Tortillas with Maseca

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups Maseca Corn Flour
• 1 1/2 Cups Water
• Pinch Salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat a dry cast iron skillet to medium high heat. Do not oil or grease. Dry pan is key.
2. loosely measure the flour and salt into a bowl. sift together. Add the water and mix with your hands until a soft dough forms that does not readily stick to your hands or crumble apart. If mixture is too dry add water one tablespoon at a time, if mixture is too wet add one more tablespoon of flour and mix again.
3. Divide dough into 16 even balls.
4. Either between two sheets of parchment paper or on a plastic wrap lined tortilla press, flatten the dough balls into tortillas that are about 1/2-1/4 centimeter thick.
5. Fry the flattened dough for a minute on each side, transfer cooked tortillas to a clean towel and hold warm until finished cooking the whole batch.
6. Tortillas can be re steamed and heated to use as soft corn tortillas.
7. You can bake the tortillas over two oven racks and make crunchy home made taco shells, they aren't quite the same as store bought, but at least you will know what is in them and when they were made. To make crunchy shells bake over two oven racks for about 7-10 minutes at 375°F.
8. Or finally you can lightly fry the cooked tortillas in hot oil for about a minute and make tostada or cut into smaller wedges for tortilla chips like restaurants make.

Enjoy!

Notes:

I know tacos aren't the most festive recipe for Christmas time, but my tummy wants to eat, what it wants to eat and I will not apologize for that!

Also Maseca is the only kind of corn flour I can get in ready supply and is thus the only one I have really experimented with. It is quite fine and I have the white variety and so far I have really enjoyed it. I have used corn grits and corn meal in recipes  because but this is really something quite different from those. It isn't too expensive and while I might not buy it all the time, I will at least keep experimenting with the bag I do have!

Other Places:

What was cooking one year ago?

Tortellini Soup

Pickled Summer Salad

Pickled Summer Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Cup Water
• 1 Cup Cider or Rice Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• Several Fresh Strands Dill Weed* Optional
• Radishes
• Carrots

Instructions:

1. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the water, vinegar, salt and sugar. If you desire dill flavor in your pickle add the dill weed now as well.
2. Julienne the carrots, and ideally use a mandolin to thinly slice the radish. I used about 1/2 cup of each.
3. Add the sliced veggies to the brine you prepared. Let stand at least 30 minutes or overnight.
4. Serve as a side salad, on a sandwich or with cheese and crackers.
5. Will keep for about 5 days in sealed container in fridge.

Enjoy!

Other Places:

What was cooking one year ago?

White Wine Sangria! YUM!

Spicy Coleslaw

Since regular coleslaw can get boring right? Also it is still too hot, cat has an icepack cuddle buddy and I am jealous.

Spicy Coleslaw

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Cups Shredded* White Cabbage
• 1 1/2 Cups Shredded Red Cabbage
• 1/2 Cups Shredded Carrots
• 4 Cloves Garlic
• 1/2-3/4 Cups Mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 3-6 Tablespoons Sriracha
• Sprinkle of Paprika, Optional
• 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

* Cut/shred the vegetables to your taste, I prefer a a larger chunk of vegetable but my husband to be was less than impressed with my slightly chunky style coleslaw.

Instructions:

1. Shred the cabbages and carrots and set aside.
2. Finely mince the garlic and mash into a paste with the teaspoon of kosher salt.
3. In a large bowl measure the mayonnaise, lemon juice and sriracha. Stir well to mix. Blend the garlic and salt paste into the mayonnaise mixture and whip to evenly blend everything together.
4. Fold the Cabbages and carrots into the mayonnaise mixture until evenly coated and it's a nice consistency. You might need extra mayo or extra cabbage/carrots to get the blend just right.
5. Transfer coleslaw blend to your serving bowl of choice and sprinkle the top liberally with paprika, if desired.
6. Cover and keep chilled up to two days before serving. If making ahead I would cover and chill without the paprika, and then toss gently again before serving and then top with paprika.

Enjoy!

Other Places:

What was cooking one year ago?

Fried Pepperoni and dipping sauce, a proper Nova Scotian delicacy.

Texas Fried Potaotes

Texas Fried Potaotes

Why "Texas Fried" you ask? 'Cause I like how it sounds and honestly have no better name for them. Call them whatever you like as long as you try them, because they are a great addition to a meal. 

Ingredients:

• 2-4 Whole potatoes
• 1 Bell Pepper
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 Teaspoon Garlic powder
• 1 Teaspoon Onion powder
• 1 Tablespoon Parsley

Special Tools:

I used a slow cooker the cook the potatoes through, that way the frying part only takes a few minutes. I have also found that cooking potatoes this way in a slow cooker allows them to keep their shape and not melt into mush. 

You could also steam the diced potatoes for about 15 minutes to keep the cook time low.

Instructions:

1. Fill the slow cooker insert with about 1/2 inch of water. 
2. Peel the potatoes and place into the slow cooker. Turn slow cooker onto high and leave potatoes for about 2 hours until cooked soft through, but not falling apart. Remove from slow cooker and allow to cool about 10-15 minutes. 
3. Dice the cooled potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter in the skillet.
4. Add the diced potatoes, Season with salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder and the parsley.
5. Dice the bell pepper and add to the skillet.
6. Allow the potatoes and pepper to cook undisturbed about 5-7 minutes. Gently turn and toss the potatoes and allow to fry another 5-7 minutes. Continue until potatoes have a nice golden crispy skin on the outside.
7. Once potatoes are crispy, serve right away.

Enjoy! 

PS: See a picture of the Texas Potatoes HERE with some glazed grilled chicken.

PSS: Also great at breakfast with some sausages. . .

Other Places:

What was cooking one year ago?

Spicy Squid Chips

Succotash

Best when made with fresh local corn on the cob, but I think frozen corn fills in pretty well when it just isn't corn season.

Succotash

Ingredients:

• 6 Slices Bacon
• 1 Smallish Onion
• 2-4 Cloves Garlic (I use 4 but I love garlic)
• 1 Green Bell Pepper
• Corn from 2-3 shucked/cleaned cobs (About 2 cups frozen kernels)
• 2 Jalapeno Peppers
• 1 Cup Edamame, shelled/frozen (Or lima beans)
• 1 Cup/1 pint Cherry Tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 Cup fresh chopped Basil leaves
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat cook the bacon slices until nice and crispy. Transfer cooked bacon to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.
2. Finely dice the onion and garlic cloves while the bacon cooks.
3. Now you can be naughty and leave all the delightful bacon fat in the pan, or drain away most of it leaving about 3 tablespoons. I wont tell if you go the naughty route, promise. 
4. Leave the skillet on a medium heat setting.
5. Add the onion the skillet with the bacon fat. Season with salt and pepper. Cook the onions until they are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
6. While the onion cooks, shuck/clean the cobs (measure out frozen kernels), finely mince the jalapeno peppers*, slice the cherry tomatoes in half, dice the green bell pepper and measure out the frozen edamame.
7. Add the minced garlic to the skillet. Stir fry cook an additional 2 minutes.
8. Add the vegetables we just prepared to the skillet. Season well with salt and pepper, stir to mix evenly. Cook for about 10 minutes, until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally.
9. Chop the bacon and basil leaves. Add to the skillet. Pour the cider vinegar over top, stir well to mix evenly.
10. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. Or if you want to get some blackened edges to some of the vegetable you can cheat by lining a large baking sheet with parchment paper and turning oven to broil. Spread the succotash over the pan in a thin even layer and broil for 3-5 minutes. Watching carefully to prevent everything from burning.
11. Serve hot as a side, goes great with Fried Chicken.

Enjoy!

*I suggest wearing cooking-safe gloves or a ziplock bag like a glove while chopping the jalapeno peppers. The insides are a strong irritant and it's really not something you want on your hands. Since once its on your hands it will for sure end up in your eye ball. Also if you are a wimp with spice you can use only 1 pepper, or none at all. Also the seeds and pale interior edges of the pepper are the strongest in heat.

Notes:

Sometimes I like to pretend like I know everything, so I might have been making my own knock off succotash for about a year now. Except I got most of it wrong except what is obvious in pictures like corn and tomatoes. This recipe is revised from an allrecipes collection of succotash recipes and the pretend succotash I used to make.

This recipe is much nicer than all my previous attempts, especially since I had never noticed succotash has bacon in it! Any side with bacon is automatically better. Plus the cider vinegar and basil seasoning really makes all the vegetables taste enhanced but not covered up.

Also the original/true succotash might be supposed to have okra in it, but decent okra is impossible to get on my small island home. Plus I am pretty sure I wouldn't be able to cook it right, so I used a bell pepper instead to get some extra green in the succotash. Cheating I know, but I like what I like and wont apologize for it. (Same reason why I used edamame instead of lima beans like most traditional recipes call for, beans are a no go in this house)

Other Places:

Something for dessert:

Chocolate Cake