Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This recipe was given to me by my sister-in-law who shall remain nameless on this blog.  Her husband, however, has made it clear that if he ever appears on the blog that he should be called Richard so we can just call my SIL Mrs. Richard for now.  I've always loved going over to Mrs. Richard's house for dinner.  It just feels so good to be surrounded by cheerful people who love and care about you.  It's an added bonus that she always makes healthy and yummy food.  Her kids are amazing eaters; they prefer salads over french fries and love food from all cultures, including Indian food.  Hopefully, Ethan will grow up to be a good eater like the little Richardians.

This soup is soul warming; perfect for a cold or rainy day.  I usually just get a rotisserie chicken from Costco and shred it.

{ Chicken and Wild Rice Soup }

From my SIL

1 onion, carrots and celery, choppped (about a cup each or more if you want)
1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup flour
6 cups chicken broth
2 packages Rice-a-Roni long grain and wild rice (prepared as directed on the box)
3 to 4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 cups half and half
Salt a pepper to taste

Melt butter and saute vegetables until tender.

Add flour and stir until vegetables are coated .  Slowly add some broth and stir vigorously until flour dissolves.  Add remaining broth.

I bring it to a boil at this point.  

Add the remaining ingredients and simmer on low until well blended or put in a crock-pot on low until ready to serve.

Best Yet Spaghetti Sauce

Spaghetti is comfort food for me which is a little weird because I didn't grow up eating it, but somehow a heaping serving of hot spaghetti is almost therapeutic.  I've tried a few spaghetti sauce recipes but none of them were quite right until I found this one from Table for Two.  It's plain and simple, but to the point.  I didn't want a hot pot of sauce simmering on the stove for half the day so I let it simmer in my crockpot and it turned out delicious.

{ Best Yet Spaghetti Sauce }

Recipe from Table for Two

1 lb. 80/20 ground beef

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

6 oz. water

1 24 oz. jar tomato puree

5-6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

Pinch of dried oregano

Pinch of onion powder

Pinch of garlic powder

Handful of fresh basil, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large stockpot, saute garlic until soft and fragrant in 2 tbsp. of olive oil, about 2 minutes.

Throw your meat in with the garlic and brown until meat has been thoroughly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.  Pour in the tomato paste, tomato puree, and seasoning, including the fresh basil.

Stir to mix well. With the 6 oz. can from the tomato paste, fill that with water and pour it in the stockpot as well.

Let mixture simmer, uncovered, for 2 or more hours (the longer the better, but minimum 2 hours), stirring occasionally.

Serve hot over fresh pasta.

Sick on New Years + Quinoa Fried Rice

Being sick on new years day wasn't half as horrible as it sounds.  If I had to rate this cold from 1 to 10 with 10 being the worst cold I have ever had, this would be a three.  Yup, it's pretty meh.  I thought for sure that I would be kicking the dead germs' butts and getting back to my normal self by now (this cold started a few days after Christmas), but I'm still not completely over it yet.  I've finally proved my mom's truthfulness when she told me as a child that I had to rest to get better.  I was a very obedient child, though she might not agree completely, and therefore I had never had the chance to prove her words wrong until now.  A mama gets no rest with a one-year-old running wild in the house and on the walls and over her hair.  It's real comfort, though, that my child hasn't caught what I have.  But then it really isn't that bad when your husband gives you the royal treatment while he's home with dinner in bed and the frequent head-pokes through the door just to check on me while blocking the King of all wild things from entering the bedroom.

Anyhow, I made dinner the other night which was a rather ordinary action in itself, but the fruit of my work was quite delicious if I do say so myself.  I made quinoa fried rice or perhaps you'd rather call it fried quinoa, like Jake, since there's really no rice in this dish at all.

{ Quinoa Fried Rice }

Adapted from Damn Delicious

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1 head broccoli, cut into florets
2/3 cup frozen corn
2/3 cup frozen peas
2 carrots, peeled and grated
3 cups cooked quinoa
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt to taste
Chicken powder
2 green onions, sliced
Sriracha, for serving

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring often, until onions become translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

Add mushrooms and broccoli. Cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add corn, peas, carrots and quinoa. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.

Add ginger, soy sauce, a pinch of salt and some chicken powder. Gently toss to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in green onions.

Serve immediately, drizzled with Sriracha, if desired.

Apple Crisp

I don't think I've ever been this excited for Fall my whole life.  Moving to Arizona really adds another point of view when it comes to this whole weather thing. All my life I'd always thought that weather talk is only appropriate when you're standing in line for the cashier, but ever since we moved here I've noticed myself commenting on the temperature constantly!  Especially when the temp drops from the 110s to the 100s, I can't stop myself from pointing it out to my husband again and again how nice and cool it feels!

Anyway...

Janssen from one of my favorite blogs Everyday Reading is asking her readers to share their favorite Fall recipes.  It only took me about 0.0008 seconds to choose which recipe to share.  I call this my lazy or "alternative" apple pie recipe.  It's so easy and quick to make, but those are not its most worthy  attributes.  You'll know what I mean when you have your first bite of this warm and bubbly apple crisp...

{ Apple Crisp }

From allrecipes.com

10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced (I use Granny Smith)

1 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup water

1 cup quick-cooking oats

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).

Place the sliced apples in a 9 by 13. Mix the white sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.  Mix well with a fork.

Combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together.  Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and topping turns a golden brown.

Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce

Butter.  Butter.  Butter.  If I let go of my self control, I would consume butter at lightening speed.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  You can count on it.  But then I can also foresee the near future of that irresponsible me laying under a tombstone with the words "butter overdose" written on it.  Sometimes images like that motivate me to eat healthy.  But every once in a while I still cook with butter.  By the stick.  And this is one of those recipes.  The original recipe calls for one whole stick of butter but I think that 6 Tbsp will do the work just fine.

{ Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce }

Adapted from allrecipes.com

6 Tbsp butter

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/3 cups milk

4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Melt butter in a non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic, stir with a whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out any lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.

Tortellini with Spinach Tomato Sauce

Did you know that if you view my blog on Safari that the pictures will look a hundred times better?  I don't know why.  Jake tried to explain it to me one time but all the technical words seemed to have gotten all jumbled up together and I don't quite understand it.  So I'll just credit Apple's ingenious engineering and design.

This week marks the sixth anniversary of Jake and I being together.  I can't believe that we started dating six years ago!  I sometimes like to read through old emails between Jake and me and I always laugh out loud when I read the very first email he has ever sent me.  It goes like this...

Right now I am sitting across from you in the library [...] I want to tell you that [...] I am glad that you are my friend.  I know you will do well on your economy tests.  Just study hard and don't worry too much.  I'm praying for you.  Talk to you later.

Hahahahaha!  I hope you're laughing as well.  He was a goofball, but I'm glad that I married him because a lot of wonderful things would never have come into my life if I didn't.  Ethan would be one of those; this recipe would be another :)  This is rather easy and quick to make.  Nothing fancy.  The original recipe calls for one cup of chopped spinach.  I followed the recipe when we made this the first time and you had to use a microscope to find the poor shrunken spinach.  Since Jake and I both really enjoy spinach I usually just pour a whole package of baby spinach (you can find it in the packaged salad section in the store) into the the saucepan.

{ Tortellini with Spinach Tomato Sauce }

Adapted from allrecipe.com

1 (16 ounce) package cheese tortellini

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion

5 cups chopped fresh spinach

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the tortellini, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

While you get the tortellini going, combine the tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, basil and garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook and stir until the mixture begins to bubble.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, milk and cream. Stir this mixture into the saucepan along with the Parmesan cheese. Heat through, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until thick, about 2 minutes.

Drain the tortellini, but do not rinse, then pour them into the saucepan with the sauce. Stir to coat, and serve.

Mango and Black Bean Quinoa Salad

Quinoa and I first met in California.  The moment I met her, I knew that I would never want to live without her again.  Then I looked her up on Wikipedia and found out how awesome she is for my body so I decided that I would let her hang out at our pantry more often.  I just needed to find a way for her to make her way onto our dinner table.  That's why when I came across this recipe, I had to try it.  The salad was beautiful with all the different colors, and you know how I feel about mangos (YUM!).  However, the salad dressing was not my favorite.  It was way too strong.  Another downside is that this doesn't keep so you'll have to consume it all in one go.  This recipe reminds me though of another quinoa recipe that I used to make: it's a stir fry and it's yum-o-yum.  I'll have to post that sometime!

{ Mango and Black Bean Quinoa Salad }

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

2 cups cooked quinoa (about ¾ cup dried), cooked in vegetable or chicken broth, at room temperature or chilled

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 medium mangos, peeled and diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

4 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

4 tablespoon red wine vinegar

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place the cooked quinoa in a large bowl. Add mango, red pepper, green onion, black beans, and cilantro.

In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice. Whisk until the dressing is smooth and pour on top of salad. Toss to combine and add salt and pepper (add more to taste if desired). Chill the salad for at least one hour before serving.

Mongolian Beef

It has been a long day.  A really long day.  Ethan bonked his noggin twice and has a little bruise on his forehead.  Sigh...  I swear his head holds magnetic properties to all sorts of things like the tile floor and bed frames and window sills and walls.

We made this Mongolian beef for dinner last night and I wish that we had some left so that it could lift up my spirit just a little bit but it was so good we ate it all last night.  This recipe claimed to be PF Chang's Mongolian Beef copycat.  I wouldn't say that it was PF Chang's Mongolian Beef but it was certainly tasty.  I think that I might add some crushed red pepper in the sauce next time just to spice things up a little.

 { Mongolian Beef }

Recipe found from Six Sister's Stuff

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

½ teaspoon ginger, minced

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup water

¾ cup dark brown sugar

vegetable oil , for frying (about 1 cup)

1 lb flank steak

¼ cup cornstarch

2 large green onions, chopped

Heat 2 tsp. of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat.  Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.  Dissolve brown sugar in sauce, then increase heat to medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until sauce thickens. Remove from heat.

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts.  Dip steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef.  Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks. 

As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok.  Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and sauté until brown. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.  After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels.  Dab excess oil off meat with a paper towel and add to medium saucepan with the sauce in it.  Put the pan back on the oven over medium/low heat.  Add chopped green onions and let sauce simmer until warm. Serve over rice.

Korean Ground Beef

Do you know that ground beef is really hard to photograph?  It's very challenging to take a picture of it and have it not look like poop.  I assure you though that this tastes NOTHING like poop, not that I have ever tasted poop!  Gah, this is really not going the direction I had intended for it to go...

This is yet another Pinterest recipe.  It was super fast and easy, and surprisingly yummy as well!  The recipe was originally from this blog, and the blogger said that she used to make this all the time in college because of how easy and cheap this dish is.  I wish I had known about this when I was in college.

Note: DO NOT omit the green onion!

{ Korean Ground Beef }

From Lizzy Writes

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound lean ground beef

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

1/2 - 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

salt and pepper

1 bunch green onions, diced

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add garlic and ground beef.  Brown.  Drain most of the fat and add brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and red pepper.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Serve over steamed rice and top with green onions.

Man Pleasing Chicken. Not.

I found this recipe on pinterest.  Lots of my girlfriends pinned it with captions like "best chicken ever!" and "man pleasing chicken!  So easy to make!"  I've tried my fair share of pinterest recipes and most of them are indeed amazing so I had high hopes for this.  What a bitter disappointment.  How can I share the truth out but not sound rude?  Let's put it this way: there is room for improvement.  Lots of room to be exact.  Jake was more forgiving than I was, he gave it a three star.  I gave it a two.  It was just not very good.  If you're looking for a quick and delicious baked chicken recipe, try Parmesan crusted chicken instead.  The fresh rosemary in this reminds me of another chicken recipe I absolutely love with rosemary in it.  I'll make it and share it on this blog soon.

{ Maple and Mustard Chicken }

From Witty in the City

Chicken thighs, about one and a half pounds

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste

Fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place chicken in a shallow baking dish.  Salt and pepper chicken.  Mix together mustard, maple syrup, and rice wine vinegar.  Pour over chicken.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Baste chicken with sauce half way through baking.  Sprinkle rosemary on top before serving.

Salmon with Honey Mustard Glaze

I have been making this recipe ever since Jake and I were married almost four years ago.  It was a recipe I got from my cooking class.  Per my father's request, I took one just-for-fun class (almost) every semester at college and it was one of the best decisions I ever made in those school years.  Sure I thought Price Theory was fun but it's different when you're holding a whisk in hand in a classroom :)

Without further ado, let me tell you about this recipe: we love it.  Make it.  You won't regret it.  The end.

{ Salmon with Honey Mustard Glaze }

From BYU Cooking Class

1 lb. salmon filet

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon margarine, melted

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 clove garlic, crushed

Mix all marinade ingredients in a small bowl.  Place salmon skin side down in a shallow baking dish.  Pour marinade over salmon.  Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Set oven to broil.  Remove salmon from marinade.  Reserve marinade.  Place salmon in broiler pan.  Broil with top 4-6 inches from heat for 10-15 minutes, brushing with marinade every few minutes, or until salmon flakes easily with a fork.  Discard remaining marinade.

Chicken Alfredo Biscuit Casserole

A ten-month-old is so much fun, especially at meal times.  Ever since Ethan learned how to sit, we've been letting him eat with us at the table.  One of my many hopes for my children is that they will grow up to be adventurous and good eaters and that they will learn to love and appreciate food so we've been slowly introducing "adult" food to Ethan and I'm happy to say that he is an excellent eater.  At nine months old, he started eating what we eat (except for honey and nuts) and it has been working really well.  I love watching him explore new foods and flavors.  Here is his dinner menu for these past few days:

Saturday:  Brown rice, tofu, steamed fish, Chinese kale, Mandarin oranges

Sunday: Hong Kong style BBQ pork (cha siu), choy sum, tofu, watermelon

Monday:  Chicken Alfredo biscuit casserole, blueberries

Tuesday:  Rice, BBQ pork, green beans, mango

Wednesday:  Tortellini pesto soup, rolls

I made this chicken Alfredo casserole on Monday and both of my boys loved it.  It makes me so happy that in addition to Jake, one more person is enjoying my cooking now.

{ Chicken Alfredo Biscuit Casserole }

From Pillsbury

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 jar (16 oz) Alfredo pasta sauce

1/4 cup milk

2 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cups frozen broccoli florets, thawed

1/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1 can (7.5 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 8-inch square (2-quart) glass baking dish with cooking

spray.

In 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat.  Cook mushrooms and onion in butter, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in Alfredo sauce, milk, chicken, broccoli and basil. Cook until mixture is thoroughly heated and bubbly, stirring constantly. Spoon into baking dish.

Separate dough into 10 biscuits. Cut each biscuit in half crosswise. Arrange around edge of baking dish, overlapping slightly. Drizzle biscuits with melted butter; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown.

Bowtie and Asparagus in Cream Sauce

It has been a while since I posted a recipe hasn't it?  Well, it's been a while since I worked in my own kitchen!  Just thinking about this pasta makes my belly growl.  It was so good.  How can it not be yummy with a whole stick of butter in the sauce?  Instead of chicken bouillon cubes, I used my Chinese chicken powder and it was just fine.  I also threw in a bag of cooked crumbled bacon I grabbed at the store instead of cooking my own bacon.  Do I sound like a lazy cook or what?  I preferred to be called efficient or labor-saving thank you very much.

{ Bowtie and Asparagus in Cream Sauce }

From Favorite Family Recipes

1 package bow tie pasta
1/2 cup real butter
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1-2 chicken bouillon cubes

1 pint heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

10-15 spears asparagus, blanched

1/2 cup bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup toasted pinenuts

Parsley, to taste

Parmesan cheese, to taste

Boil bow tie pasta in salted water until al dente.

In a heavy skillet melt butter. Add minced garlic and sauté for a minute or so.

Add Parmesan Cheese and bouillon cubes. When the bouillon cubes are dissolved, slowly stir in heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Add cooked pasta to cream sauce and toss until pasta is well covered. Add blanched asparagus. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon, toasted pinenuts, parsley & Parmesan cheese and toss together. Serve immediately.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

I know it has only been a couple days since I last posted a recipe but this is so good I feel selfish not to share!  This parmesan crusted chicken took me less than five minutes to prepare which was amazing.  I love quick and easy recipes especially now that I have a cute mini man in the house who I'd rather play with than anything else.  Jake and I both love this dish.  The chicken was crispy on top and very moist and juicy on the inside.  Another great thing about this is that it only calls for four ingredients and I bet you already have all of them in your fridge and pantry.  Make this for dinner tonight.  You won't regret it.  Let's get cooking, shall we?

I just went back to the original website where I found the recipe and realized that she had green beans on the side too!  I swear I wasn't trying to copy her.

{Parmesan Crusted Chicken}

From the enchanted cook

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/4 lbs. total weight or about 5 ounces per breast

4 teaspoons Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

Place mayo and cheese in a small bowl and mix.

Lay chicken breasts on baking sheet (the enchanted cook lines her baking sheet with parchment paper to make clean up easy) and spread mayo mixture evenly atop each.

Next evenly sprinkle bread crumbs atop each.

Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly and juices run clear. Tops will be browned and chicken will be incredibly juicy. Season with a dash of fresh cracked pepper and sea salt, if desired.

Gourmet Mushroom Risotto

It's about time for a new recipe!  Ethan is taking his last nap of the day and I would like to give him all my attention once he wakes up so I don't have a lot of time.  Let's get straight to the point.


I really enjoyed this recipe.  It was rich, creamy, and filling.  I had never had risotto in my life before I made this so I have no idea how close it is to the real thing but it was very good.  Give it a try someday when you don't mind standing by the stove for thirty minutes, stirring rice continuously, and pondering about how good life really is.

Gourmet Mushroom Risotto

From allrecipes.com

6 cups chicken broth, divided

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1/2 pound portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced

1/2 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 shallots, diced

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

sea salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

3 tablespoons finely chopped chives

4 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.

Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Korean Marinated Beef

A lifetime ago when I was on a study abroad in China, strangers always asked if I was from Korea.  It bemused me because I personally don't think I look Korean at all.  Every single Korean girl I knew from college was stylish and beautiful, and I am anything but stylish and beautiful.  {Especially when I was in China!  Let's just say that I did not adhere to the recommended daily calorie intake.}  But I do love Korean food.  This world would be a very sad place without kimchi.  Yes, very sad indeed.  So when I saw this recipe on the internet I had to give it a try.  They called it beef bulgogi on allrecipes.com but it's nothing like the beef bulgogi I've tried in Korean restaurants so I changed the name here on the blog because I would hate to confuse myself in the future.  We do have an outdoor grill but, I don't know, being out in the sun when it's a hundred degrees outside just didn't sound very fun to me so I cooked the beef on my George Foreman grill.  It was very good and made my house smell amazing.  I'm sure it would've been even better on a real grill.

Korean Marinated Beef

From allrecipes.com

1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced

5 tablespoons soy sauce

2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup chopped green onion

2 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Place the beef in a shallow dish. Combine all other ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over beef. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil the grate.

Quickly grill beef on hot grill until slightly charred and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Microwave Caramel

Listen up my dear readers because I have a really embarrassing story to share today.  

A few days ago I saw a pin on pinterest with the caption 6 minutes microwave caramels.  That sounded like something I wanted to try so I went to the original link and read the recipe.  The instructions go something like this: Combine all ingredients.  Cook 6 minutes, stirring every two minutes.  I'm sure the above sentences would have been clear enough to a person in his right mind.  But alas, not to me.  Somehow I was confused by the fact that there was no mention of a microwave like the caption from the pin has promised.  I read the instructions again very carefully, then I read the recipe contributor's notes.  I even went as far as reading all the comments shown on that page but the word microwave was nowhere to be found!  So I was convinced that the pinner must have had it wrong and what did the ever-so-bright Claire do?  I cooked the caramel on my stove.  Do you know what happens to caramel when you cook it on a stove and only stir it every two minutes?  {It's okay.  Go ahead.  I would laugh too if I were you.}  It wasn't completely horrible though.  Really.  There were some burned bits floating around but Jake said that they add character to the caramels.  I wanted to believe him and so I did.  Those caramels were really full of character.  When I was in the shower the next morning, I had an epiphany: maybe the caramel really were meant to be cooked in the microwave!  {Gasp!}  I made the recipe again and it was delicious but unquestionably lacking in the character division.

The end.

p.s.  I went back to the original link for the recipe and the word microwave was in the recipe title the whole time.

Microwave Caramels

Recipe adapted from Food.com

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup light Karo syrup

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Sea salt

Combine all ingredients.

Cook in microwave on high for 6 minutes, stirring every two minutes.

Stir and pour into lightly greased dish.  Sprinkle with sea salt.

Let cool.  Cut, wrap in wax paper & store in air tight container.

Orzo with Parmesan and Basil

I first learned about Orzo because Jake came home from school one day and told me that his professor's wife made orzo for dinner the night before.  So random.  I swear you learn the most interesting and random things about your professors in college just by attending lectures.  There's this one time when a phone started ringing in the middle of lecture in my finance class.  My 78-year-old professor froze, made a face, took out the ringing phone from his pocket and answered the call.  His phone was a hot pink razor.  The whole class just about died.  But I digress...

Remember the basil plant I was telling you about a couple days ago?  This is the second recipe I made with my fresh basil leaves from my very own basil plant that is still very much alive may I add.  This is a very yummy dish.  Jake calls it the high-class rice-a-roni.  I personally think that it is so much better than rice-a-roni.  It's creamy, smooth, and fresh-tasting.  You can pair it with some grilled chicken, ribs, or a vegetable stir fry.  The possibilities are endless!

Orzo with Parmesan and Basil

From allrecipes.com

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup uncooked orzo pasta

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned.

Stir in chicken stock and bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 - 20 minutes.

Mix in Parmesan cheese and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to shallow bowl. Garnish with basil sprigs.

Marinated Tomatoes

You know how plants wilt and die when a villain walk pass them in cartoons?  If I were a cartoon character, I would be one of those villains.  I am horrible with plants.  You would think that if I ccould raise a child then it wouldn't be too challenging to grow a plant.  Wrong.  Somehow I manage to kill almost every plant that was unfortunate enough to have been under my possession.  Let's be honest, growing up I rode on more subways that I had walked on grass so perhaps it's a good thing we live in Arizona--this way my rock garden wouldn't stand out too much.

But then I've always wanted an herb garden.  There's something about cutting fresh herbs from the plants and cooking with them that makes me happy.  So with a little bit of courage and lots of hope, I bought a basil plant from Trader Joe's last time we were there.  The good news is that the plant is still alive.  It has actually grown quiet a bit!  To celebrate, I decided to make a couple recipes with fresh basil and here is one of them.

This is so yummy.  I love it on grilled baguette.  It's heavenly.

Marinated Tomatoes on Baguette
From The Pioneer Woman

1 cup Canola Oil

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

4 Tablespoons Sugar

1 teaspoon Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

3 whole Green Onions, Sliced

1/4 cup Chopped Parsley

18 whole Basil Leaves (chiffonade)

1/4 teaspoon Ground Thyme

2 cloves Garlic, Minced Finely

2 pounds Tomatoes, Cut Into Quarters (if Big) Or Halves (if Small)

1 whole Baguette, Sliced

1 clove Garlic, Peeled

Combine all ingredients except tomatoes in a large glass bowl. Whisk to combine, then add tomatoes.

Allow to marinate for at least 3 to 4 hours, several hours if possible. Tomatoes will give off liquid as they marinate.

Use leftover tomatoes to make bruschetta: slice baguette and brush slices with olive oil. Grill on a skillet or grill pan until golden. Rub slices with garlic cloves. Top with tomatoes, allowing juice to drip on the bread.

Chicken Tortilla Soup Pioneer Woman Style

I luuuuuv tortilla soup.  And I luuuuuuv the Pioneer Woman.  So life really doesn't get any better than this  Pioneer Woman chicken tortilla soup.  It was so delicious.  Mhhh...  I've tried a few tortilla soup recipes in my lifetime and this is one of the best.  She was so right about the cornmeal.  It really distinguished this soup from all the others I've made.  Make this soup.  You won't regret it.

Don't forget to add your favorite toppings!  

Chicken Tortilla Soup Pioneer Woman Style
From The Pioneer Woman (of course!)

• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1-½ teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 cup Diced Onion
• ¼ cups Diced Green Bell Pepper
• ¼ cups Red Bell Pepper
• 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can (10 Oz. Can) Rotel Tomatoes And Green Chilies
• 32 ounces, fluid Low Sodium Chicken Stock
• 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 4 cups Hot Water
• 2 cans (15 Oz. Can) Black Beans, Drained
• 3 Tablespoons Cornmeal Or Masa
• 5 whole Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Uniform Strips Around 2 To 3 Inches

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cumin, chili pepper, garlic powder, and salt. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on chicken breasts, then sprinkle a small amount of spice mix on both sides. Set aside the rest of the spice mix.
2. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Use two forks to shred chicken. Set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pot over medium high heat. Add onions, red pepper, green pepper, and minced garlic. Stir and begin cooking, then add the rest of the spice mix. Stir to combine, then add shredded chicken and stir.
4. Pour in Rotel, chicken stock, tomato paste, water, and black beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered.
5. Mix cornmeal with a small amount of water. Pour into the soup, then simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Check seasonings, adding more if needed—add more chili powder if it needs more spice, and be sure not to undersalt. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Five minutes before serving, gently stir in tortilla strips.
6. Ladle into bowls, then top with sour cream, diced red onion, diced avocado, pico de gallo, and grated cheese.