Korean Fried Chicken Sauce

 Korean Fried Chicken Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons Gochujang Paste
• 1 Inch Ginger Root, grated
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Soy Sauce
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a small pot, over low heat stir constantly until sauce comes together. 
2. Simmer on low for 5 minutes.
3. To use, heat the sauce until it is more runny, toss over fried chicken. Garnish fried chicken with sliced green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
4. Enjoy!

Sweet and Sour Tofu Stirfry

 Sweet and Sour Tofu Stirfry

Ingredients:

• Vegetable Oil
• 1 block Extra Firm or Firm Plain Tofu
• 1 Zucchini
• 1 Bell Pepper
• 1 Can Crushed or Diced Pineapple(I prefer crushed for texture, husband prefers diced)
• 1/3 Cup White Vinegar
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 1-3 Teaspoons Sriracha Sauce *
• 1 Tablespoon Corn Starch

* 1 Teaspoon to help balance the sauce, up to three or more if you want a spicier sauce.

Instructions:

1. Drain the tofu, and pat dry with paper towels. Cut tofu into small cubes, season well with salt and pepper.
2. Slice the bell pepper into thin strips. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, then each half in half again length wise, and cut each quarter strip into 1cm wide chunks. Set bell pepper and zucchini aside.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together the entire can of pineapple (juice and all), vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, soy sauce, sriracha and corn starch. Set aside.
4. Get a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and fry tofu 4 mins on each side until each side is golden brown. Might take longer than 4 mins per side. Once tofu is browned, transfer to a plate and set aside.
5. Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet, and add the diced vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Saute veggies for 5 minutes, or until they are cooked to your liking. I like my veggies pretty well done, husband prefers closer to raw.
7. Add the tofu and sauce to the skillet, reduce heat to low and stir to combine everything.
8. Sauce should thicken slightly after 1-2 minutes.
9. Once sauce is thickened, bubbling slightly around the edges and tofu has reheated the stir fry is ready to serve.
10. Serve over rice or rice noodles, garnish with sesame seeds and diced green onion if desired.

Enjoy!

Spicy Korean Wing Sauce

 Spicy Korean Wing Sauce

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Butter

1/3 Cup Gochujang Paste

4 Cloves Garlic

1/2 Inch Ginger Root 

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

3 Tablespoons Mirin or 2 tb honey

3 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar 

Instructions:

1. Mince or finely grate the garlic and ginger root. 
2. Add all ingredients to a small pot.
3. Heat over medium low heat, stirring constantly until butter melts and mixture comes to a boil. 
4. Boil for five minutes, stirring frequently. 
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before using. 
6. Sauce will thicken as it cools. 
7. Great with fried chicken. 

Notes:

Yet another recipe created to appease my husband when he misses korean food. He found a recipe for Korean fried chicken and sauce that sounded like what he was missing. The recipe he found was scanty on details and had a few ingredients I do not have so I had to fly pretty fast and loose with some substitutions. But when it was done he was thrilled and said it tastes right. Which is good since I was cooking blind and had no real idea what I was aiming for. Did some buttermilk and garlic marinated wings, dredged in seasoned flour then fried crispy and tossed in this sauce garnished with some toasted sesame seeds and I had one very very happy husband. Which is always nice. 

I'm not cooking as many new recipes as I once did, I have two kids now so life is busy but when I find a winner of a recipe I still want to save it and share it. 

Channa Masala Curry

Channa Masala Curry

Ingredients:

• 4 Clove Garlic
• 1 inch Ginger root
• 2 Jalapeno or about 4 Thai chili
• Juice of 1 lemon (2-3 Tablespoons)
• Salt and Pepper
• Vegetable oil
• 2 Teaspoons Mustard Seeds
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
• 1 large Onion, diced
• 2 Teaspoons Ground Coriander
• 1 Teaspoon Turmeric
• 2 Teaspoons Garam masala
• 1 (14 ounce) Can Whole Tomatoes
• 2 (14 ounce) Cans Chickpeas, Drained
• 1 Cup Chopped Cilantro leaves

Instructions:

1. In the bowl of a small food processor pulse together the garlic, ginger root, chilies, lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Pulse until a paste forms with no large chunks remaining.
2. In a large sauce pan, heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, add the mustard seeds and cumin once oil is heated.
3. Mustard seeds will sputter a bit like popcorn. Don't panic.
4. Once you can smell the spices bloom, add the diced onion, and stir-fry cook for 5-10 minutes until onions are soft, and starting to brown. If things are going to quickly add a few tablespoons of water to slow it down. We want slow carmalized onions.
5. Once onions are browned, add the spice paste from the food processor. Stir to combine.
6. Add in the coriander, turmeric, and garam masala. Stir until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
7. Add the entire contents of the can of tomatoes, and either mash with a potato masher, or use an immersion blender to pulse until relatively smooth.
8. Stir in drained and rinsed chickpeas, and almost all of the chopped cilantro, reserving a little bit for garnish.
9. Add about 1/2 cup of water to the curry and stir to blend.
10. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with rice, and naan bread, garnishing with a little of the remaining cilantro.

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. 

Chicken Udon Stir-Fry

Chicken Udon Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

• 1 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast or two Thighs, cut into thin strips
• 3 Green Onions, chopped
• 1 Onion, diced
• 1 Carrot, julienned
• 1 Bell Pepper, sliced
• 4 Mushrooms, chopped
• Vegetable Oil
• 1/3 Cup Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 2 Clove Garlic, minced
• 2 Teaspoons Gochujang or Sriacha 
• Black Pepper
• 2 Servings Udon Noodles

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl combine soy sauce, garlic, honey, gochujang and season with pepper.
2. Add the sliced chicken, and stir to evenly coat chicken all over. Marinate chicken for about 30 minutes before cooking.
3. Bring a medium sized pot of salted water to boil. and cook the udon noodles according to package direction. Set aside once cooked
4. Heat a large wok or high sided skillet over medium heat, add about 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.
5. Stir fry onions until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
6. Add the chicken and marinade, and stir fry cook until the chicken is no longer pink, and is cooked through.
7. Transfer cooked chicken, sauce, and onions to a clean bowl for now.
8. Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet.
9. Add the carrot and bell pepper and stir fry cook for about 5 minutes.
10. Add the mushroom and cook until mushroom just begins to cook, about 3 minutes.
11. Return the chicken, sauce and onions to the skillet and stir fry cook until everything is coated in sauce, hot, and well blended. Turn off heat.
12. Add the udon noodles to the skillet and toss to bring everything together.
13. Serve hot, in bowls and garnish with the sliced green onion.

Enjoy!

Notes:
This dish could easily be made vegetarian by subbing tofu for the chicken, or you could change it up and use beef or pork strips easily as well. Basically whatever meat and whatever veg you have on hand can be used in this dish without hurting the final results. The key feature of this recipe is the marinade/sauce which has all the salty savory notes typical in Chinese cooking, but with a spicy Korean kick from the gochujang paste.

If you don't have access to gochujang or siracha you could just about between 1/2-1 teaspoon of crushed chili flakes depending on how spicy you like things.

Falafel Wrap

Falafel Wrap

Ingredients:

• 1 Recipe for Falafel
• 1 Recipe for Tahini Garlic Sauce
• 1 Recipe for Quick Pickles, Radish or Carrot
• 6 Pita or Tortillas
• 1 Zucchini
• 1 Bell Pepper
• 1 Cup chopped Tomato
• Lettuce

Instructions:

1. Prepare Falafel, or used store bought.
2. Prepare Tahini Garlic Sauce 
3. Prepare pickled carrots or radish.
4. Slice the pepper and zucchini into thin slices.
5. In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, without oil, char-grill the zucchini and pepper, for about 3 minutes a side. Trying to get a nice dark char on at least one side of each veggie slice.
6. Roughly chop about 1-2 cup of lettuce or spinach leaves.
7. Open the pita pocket, or lay the wrap out flat, arrange 4 falafel in the center, drizzle some of the tahini garlic sauce over the falafel. Sprinkle some chopped lettuce into the wrap, then a few slices of pickle, zuchini, bell pepper and tomato.
8. Wrap everything up, if desired, toast slightly under the broiler in oven.

Enjoy!

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!

Stove Top Mac n' Cheese

Stove Top Mac n' Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1 Pound Elbow Pasta, or other small pasta shape
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1/2 Cup Butter, divided into 8 cubes
• 5 ounces Cheese
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1.  Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve at least 1 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta, and set aside for now.
2. In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse the cheese into a fine crumb, or finely shred it. I like to use about 2 ounces of Parm and 3 of a sharp cheddar for this recipe, but any cheese will work.
3. Heat 1 of the butter cubes in a medium sauce pan over medium heat, until it is melted, and foamy, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the milk and whisk to blend in the melted butter.
5. Continuing over medium heat, whisk the milk and butter, add one cube of butter and whisk until completely melted and incorporated into the milk sauce. Only add the next butter cube when the previous one has been fully emulsified. Repeat with remaining butter cubes.
6. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
7. Pour the cooked pasta into the milk sauce, add the cheese and about 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
8. Stir to melt the cheese, and coat the pasta. If it seems dry, add another little bit of the reserved pasta water to help the sauce reach your desired consistency.
9. The mac n' cheese is ready to eat, or you can pour it into a casserole dish, top with more melted cheese and bake for a more traditional macaroni and cheese.

Enjoy!

Sesame Stir-Fry Sauce

Sesame Stir-Fry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Mirin
• 4 Cloves minced Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
• 1-3 Teaspoon Sriracha
• 1/4 Cup thinly sliced green onions, green and white parts

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl stir together all ingredients and allow flavors to blend together for a few minutes, or while you make the stir-fry.
2. Quick fry, chicken or tofu with a mix of veggies until chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat and add sauce, stir to coat and serve over rice or noodles.
3. Optional to garnish with sesame seeds and fresh green onion slices.

Enjoy!

Galbi Marinade

Galbi Marinade 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 Cup Soy Sauce
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 3-4 Cloves Garlic
• 2 Green Onion Stalks
• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
• 1 Asian Pear
• Pepper to taste
• 2 Pounds Steak, short rib or small roast

Instructions:

1. Season steak all over with pepper and set aside.
2. In a medium sized bowl add the soy sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Whisk to dissolve brown sugar. If the brown sugar won't completely dissolve, add a few tablespoons of water.
3. Mince, grate or crush the garlic, finely chop the green onions from top to about 2-3 centimeters from the root. Discard the root, add everything else to the bowl.
4. Peel the Asian Pear. Discard the peel. Grate the Asian pear over a small bowl. Add the grated pear and pear juice to the marinade.
5. Add the steak to the marinade. Cover or transfer to a sealable container and marinate the steak for at least an hour or two, or overnight.
6. Allow steak to return to room temperature and drain off excess marinade to drain from steak before grilling to desired doneness.

Enjoy!

Notes:

Galbi is a South Korean BBQ style dish.

If you read this far, here is a secret, you can just add all the ingredients except the steak to a food processor and pulse a few times to create the marinade.

My husband spent a year and a bit living in Korea and traveling around Asia. I have made this marinade a lot, or used in to slow cook and he liked it ok. But this week I used the BBQ and he was much more impressed with how close it was to what he remembers. So at least for me, it's husband approved.

Nova Scotian Donair Sauce

Nova Scotian Donair Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 1/3-1/2 Cup White Vinegar
• 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, 1/3 cup of vinegar and the garlic powder until smooth and evenly blended.
2. Allow sauce to chill in fridge covered for about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust as needed. If it tastes too sweet, add more vinegar, if there isn't enough garlic add about 1/8 teaspoons more. Whisk again, chill in fridge again and taste again until it's perfect. Allow sauce to chill and rest in fridge for about a half hour before serving.
3. Serve with kofta, or garlic fingers or pizza.

Enjoy!!

Notes:

This is a taste of my Homeland and a true Nova Scotian food, typically served with garlic fingers or a Donair.  I don't quite have a good recipe to replicate a Donair at home, but I am working on it. I recently bought myself a rotisserie for my new super sexy BBQ so maybe I will finally be able to make perfect Donair meat at home.

For those not in the know, Donair is kind of like a pita sandwich, made with spiced rotisserie meat, shaved off the spit, piled into a pita with tomato and onion and covered with Donair sauce.

Ginger Carrot Salad Dressing

Ginger Carrot Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Peeled Carrots, chopped
• 1/4 Cup Grated Ginger root
• 1/4 Cup Diced Onion, (1/2 small onion)
• 2 Tablespoons Honey or Sugar
• 2-3 Tablespoons White Miso Paste
• 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil, like Canola or light Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Seed Oil
• 1/4 Cup Rice Vinegar
• Water
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment add all the chopped carrot, ginger root, onion, honey, miso, vegetable oil, sesame see oil and rice vinegar. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
2. Pulse the food processor several times until ingredients blend into a smooth paste. Add about 2 tablespoons of water and pulse again, continue to add small amounts of water and pulse until salad dressing is smooth and has a good consistancy.
3. Taste and adjust any seasonings as needed. Keep chilled until ready to serve.
4. I usually serve this dressing over top of an iceburg lettuce with shredded carrot salad.

Enjoy!

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• Roughly 2 pounds fresh Roma Tomatoes
• 1 Large Onion
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil
• 10 Basil Leaves (Optional)

Instructions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
2. Wash the basil leaves and tomatoes.
3. Slice the root and top off the onion, and peel the papery outer layer off the onion. Slice an X shape into the top and bottom of the onion about 1/2 inch deep, into the ends that are now flat from having the roots and tip sliced off. Set aside.
4. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
5. Remove the eye from each tomato, and slice and X into the end opposite the eye of each tomato.
6. Once the pot of water is boiling, add the tomatoes and blanch for 3-5 minutes, until the skins just start to peel away. Remove from water with a slotted spoon, to a colander and allow to cool several minutes.
7. Drain water from the large pot.
8. Once tomatoes are cool enough to touch, peel the skin from each tomato, slice each tomato into quarters, scraping away the seeds and pulpy watery middles and discarding.
9. Return the large pot to the stove and heat for 5 minutes over medium heat.
10. Roughly chop the cleaned tomato quarters into smaller bits.
11. Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the large pot. Add the onion we prepared earlier, as well as the chopped tomatoes.
12. Cover and cook the tomatoes and onion for 10 minutes.
13. Uncover, stir in sugar. Stir and mash the tomatoes well, cover and cook an additional 15 minutes.
14. After 15 minutes, taste the sauce, adjust salt as needed. Season well with pepper. Cook an additional 5 minutes uncovered.
15. Finely chop the basil leaves and stir into the sauce.
16. If desired the sauce can be made really smooth by removing the onion, transferring cooked tomatoes to a blender and pulsing several times.
17. The sauce is now ready to be used.
18. Can be used as is for pasta, seasoned for pizza sauce. used in recipes calling for a tin of tomato sauce etc.

Enjoy!

Notes:

Other places:

What was cooking one year ago?

Steamed Pork Buns

What was cooking two years ago?

Parsnip Chips

Baba Ganoush

Baba Ganoush
A simple Dip made from eggplant

Ingredients:

• 1 Eggplant
• 1 Lemon, Juiced, or about 2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2-3 Tablespoons Tahini
• salt
• 2-3 Cloves Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley

Instructions:

1. Slice the top leaf and very bottom bit off the eggplant, then slice the remaining eggplant into 1/2inch thick rounds. Arrange the rounds on a piece of kitchen paper towels, lightly dust each side of the rounds with salt and cover with another layer of kitchen paper towels. Allow to sit 10 minutes.
2. After 10 minutes, heat oven to broil high. Gently blot any excess water from the eggplant rounds.
3. Broil the eggplant rounds on a thick baking sheet for 3-5 minutes, until dark, slightly charred spot start to form. Turn eggplant over and broil the other side.
4. Remove eggplant from oven and allow to cool about 10-15 minutes.
5. In a large bowl food processor with a blade attachment, add the lemon juice, Tahini, garlic cloves and parsley.
6. Peel the dark rind from the eggplant rounds, and add the flesh to the food processor bowl.
7. Pulse the mixture several times in the food processor several times until dip is creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning and salt as needed.
8. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
9. Goes great a dip with veggies, or chips, toasted pita etc. Or with falafel.

Enjoy!

Notes:

you can also roast the eggplant whole, but just cutting a few steam vents in the side, and roasting int he oven. then you need to split it and spoon out the cooked eggplant at the end. As the flesh doesn't actually come in direct contact with the heat in the oven you get a whiter looking baba at the end.

Other Places:

Great with falafel

What was cooking one year ago?

Apple pie filling

What was cooking two years ago?

Chicken Wings

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach Artichoke Dip
Literally always a hit with a crowd

Ingredients:

• 1 Can Artichoke Hearts
• Roughly 3-4 Chopped Wilted Spinach
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
• 1 Cup Cream Cheese(at room temperature for 30 minutes)
• 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 2-3 Cloves minced Garlic

Instructions:

1. If using fresh spinach, heat a skillet to medium heat. Chop the spinach roughly.
2. Add the spinach and about 1/4 cup of water, cover and steam the spinach until soft and wilted. Drain and excess water and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, add the Parmesan cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, mozzarella and minced garlic.
4. Drain the artichoke hearts from the liquid in the can. Roughly chop the artichoke hearts into smaller pieces. Add the diced artichoke hearts to the bowl with the other ingredients.
5. Using a large spoon stir and fold all ingredients until smooth, evenly blended and creamy.
6. You can now cover and set aside the dip until ready to serve. Or freeze in small containers to use at a later time.

To serve:

Oven

1. Pour the desired amount of dip into a small oven safe dish. Heat oven to 400°F. Bake for 30-40 minutes until hot, bubbly, and top might be slightly toasty in color.

Microwave

1. Pour desired amount of dip into a microwave safe dish, heat in microwave at normal settings 2 minutes at a time, stirring well after each round in the microwave. Once dip is hot and bubbling it is ready to serve.

Serve the dip hot with crackers, toast, pita chips, corn chips, veggies, just about anything really.
Enjoy!

Notes:
You can also cut a bowl shape into a large round loaf of bread and bake the dip inside the bread bowl to make it extra fancy. Just make sure to place the bread bowl on a baking sheet while it bakes in case some seeps out the bottom.

I often make a double batch of this dip, and portion it out into tupperware and freeze it so I always have a party snack on hand if guests drop in, and since it is tasty on everything from toast, to chips to crackers, I almost always have something in the pantry to serve it with.

Other Places:
What was cooking one year ago?

Sourdough Bread

What was cooking two years ago?

Butter Roasted Asparagus 

Strawberry Balsamic-Basil Jelly

Strawberry Balsamic-Basil Jelly

Ingredients:

• 1 Package Pectin
• Roughly 1 Pound Strawberries. Fresh or Frozen*, hulled** and mashed.
• 1/4 Cup Good Balsamic Vinegar
• 6 Cups Granulated White Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Basil

*If using frozen, let the berries thaw a bit before starting.

**Hulling is removing the white, tough middlely-topish inside bit from the berry. Makes a smoother, sweeter jam. Just cut the top off, and scoop out the white middle stem like part of the berry.

Instructions:

1. In a large sauce pan, add the mixed berries and balsamic vinegar. Heat to loosen some juice from the berries for about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the pectin.
2. Over high heat bring the berries to a full boil. Boil hard for one minute.
3. Add all of the sugar and stir well.
4. Bring everything back to a boil. Boil hard for one minute.
5. Remove from heat, and let sit 5 minutes. Skim off any foam from the top.
6. Ladle the jam into sterilized jars, make sure lip is clean, place top, and screw band on. Repeat until all the jam is in cans.
7. In a large pot of boiling water, process the cans for roughly 10 minutes. Remove from water bath, loosen rings to allow water to evaporate and prevent rust.
8. Make sure lids are sealed.
9. Pectin usually comes with instructions on how to process jars, or there is always google to help you out.
10. Sealed and jarred jelly will stay good for up to 9 months if stored in a cool dark place.

Enjoy!

Notes:

Miss busy bee is in the process of moving this summer into our first real home. So The blog is still on the back burner for now.

Slow Cooker Queso

Slow Cooker Queso (Spicy Cheese Sauce/Dip)

Ingredients:

• 16 Ounces Velveeta Cheese
• 1 Cup Milk
• 1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (Or more for extra heat)
• 2 Teaspoons Paprika
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 15 Ounces Chili Salsa or your favorite Salsa
• 1 small can Chopped Jalapenos
• 2 Tablespoons Chili Blend Power (or more for extra "chili" taste)
• 2 Teaspoons Cumin (or more for extra spice)
• Juice of one Lime

Instructions:

1. Measure or add everything listed into your crock pot/slow cooker.  Give it a stir. Turn on low for about 2 hours or up to four hours.
2. Stir to blend evenly.
3. Sauce is now ready. Use it to dip tortilla chips in, as a sauce on tacos, or cook some pasta and make a spicy mac and cheese with it!

Enjoy!

Notes:

Miss Busy Bee would like to apologize to anyone who had been checking in frequently, and noticed my lack of blogging.  I had a lot of things come up in my life like a flu, being ill with shingles, my father passed away, I was promoted at work, I had staff problems at work, I got married and now I am trying to buy my first home with my husband.

Sorry life got in the way. But I have been starting to cook more again, and things are getting settled once again, so hopefully I wont vanish from the internet again for a while. A new recipe should be coming soon!

Lemon Chicken Sauce

Lemon Chicken Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/3 Cup Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
• 1 Cup Chicken Stock
• 2-3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• Salt as needed
• 1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, chicken stock and lemon juice.
2. Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a medium sauce pan or skillet until quite hot.
3. Pour the sauce into the heated pan, whisk occasionally while heating until sauce thickens and becomes less cloudy.
4. Heat until reduced to desired consistency. Season with salt as needed.
5. Goes great with chicken, duck, or most things.

Enjoy!

Aioli and Mayonnaise From Scratch!

So simple as long as you are willing to put in some elbow grease!

The difference between aioli and mayonnaise is basically that aioli has a garlic paste mixed in and mayonnaise does not. So you can either follow the instructions for making the garlic paste and make aioli or skip it and make a plain mayonnaise. You can also add extra seasonings to either the home made aioli or mayonnaise, I like to add some curry powder or paprika and then dip fresh home fries in it.

Aioli and Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

• 2 Egg Yolks
• 1 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

Garlic Paste:

• 3-4 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

Optional:

• 1-2 Teaspoons Curry Powder or Paprika, or a spice blend of your choice

Instructions:

To prepare Garlic Paste:

1. With a mortar and pestle or in a small bowl with a sturdy spoon smash and mash the minced garlic with the salt until it is a smooth and even paste.

To Prepare Mayonnaise or Aioli:

1. Add the egg yolks to a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine the two together. If you are adding garlic paste, whisk it into the lightly beaten egg yolks.
2. Add about 2-3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil to the bowl, whisk vigorously until the egg and oil are emulsified, or completely blended together.
3. Continue to add the olive oil, several tablespoons at a time until about 1/2 cup has been incorporated. Whisk in the lemon juice until blended in.
4. Continue to whisk the olive oil in slowly. Just a few tablespoons at a time, whisking until emulsified before adding more olive oil.
5. Slow and steady whisking is key or else everything is going to split into a terrible oily mess.
6. Once all the olive oil is whisked in the mayonnaise or aioli should be thick and similar to what you find premade at the store.
7. If your sauce has split into a terrible oily mess, fear not! Things can sometimes be saved. In another bowl add one more egg yolk. Working with about 1 tablespoon at a time of your split sauce, whisk it into the fresh egg yolk. Being sure to fully whisk before adding more. Slow and steady add the olive oil while thoroughly whisking in between each addition. hopefully that solves things!

Enjoy!

Notes:

I find this to be a fickle recipe, it works perfectly some days for me, and other days I do not reach success. Oh well, can't be perfect all the time!

Other places:

If this recipe just isn't working out, I have a way to cheat!

Simple Aioli