Soy sauce drumsticks

Chúc Mừng Nǎm Mới!!! Happy New Year!!!!  Bonne Année!!! Feliz Año Nuevo!!! Buon Anno!!! La Mulţi Ani!!! 새해 복 많이 받으세요!!!

Whichever language(s) you speak, write or understand, I wish you and your loved ones a new year filled with happiness, health, joy, laughter, smiles, and yummilicious food in your bellies.

Speaking of which, here is a short & savory "recipe" for your drumsticks. Simply delicious.

No, not YOUR drumsticks, but chicken drumsticks that you bought at the store/farm first thing this morning because almost nothing was opened yesterday on the 1st of January and you didn't want to purchase them in Chinatown for personal reasons... Don't worry, it'll be our little secret...

Calling this a "recipe" is really a stretch. All you need is:

• enough soy sauce (to fill about 5mm high of a shallow baking pan or dish or whatever you want to marinade in) 
• minced garlic (of about 3, 4 cloves)  
• chopped shallots (1-2) 
• drumsticks (I scored them with 2, 3 deep lines almost to the bone, horizontally so that they'd soak up the marinade better and cook well at the more meaty part without drying out or burning)

Line the chicken in the pan with the marinade and turn them over once in a while to ensure that the soy sauce coats all. Let stand for about an hour or two, or refrigerate over night and let cool before cooking.

Cook in a pan over medium heat with a bit of olive or vegetable oil, turning over once in a while to cook all sides. Once done (mine took about 30-35 minutes) place them on a big plate and sprinkle freshly ground pepper over the top.

Enjoy!!!

Crockpot pasta meat sauce with a twist

Ok, so I know what you're thinking: "ANOTHER pasta sauce recipe!?" because of course, we all have enough pasta sauce recipes in our closet!

But hear me out!!!

1-You won't have to keep going to check up on it
2-There is a twist that will give your pasta sauce a whole new depth.
3-No cleanup to do for splatters on the counter!!!

Seriously, if you have a crockpot, DO IT!

DO IT NOW!!!!! Ok, maybe not right now because for all I know, you're reading this in bed on your laptop at 1am while your significant other is snoring away on the left side of the bed. But do it when the sun is up because you won't regret it. You will have enough to freeze and the kids will ask for seconds (And I say this so firmly because I've got proof. Picky-eaters proof!)

So, what's the twist? Ha-ha, very funny, it's not squirrel meat! (Although, those little cute furry punks who dig up our back yard are really asking for it....)

It's fish sauce. Oh, don't make that face, it's really not attractive. That's the same face my better half made when I first talked about cooking with fish sauce. Then he tasted the sauce I made the first time and hasn't stopped eating it since. Didn't even leave me when he found out what I put in it! LOL!

It's really quite quick to prep. The only part that takes more time is cooking the beef. So let's get to it!

Tramie's pasta meat sauce with a twist:
(serves... a lot...)

• 2 pounds extra lean ground beef

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes n the juice, 796ml / 28oz each

• 1 can of crushed tomatoes, 796ml / 28oz

• 4-6 tbsp fish sauce (to taste)

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 branches of fresh oregano, washed 

• 2-3 branches of fresh parsley, washed, discard stems and mince

Cook the ground beef with the garlic in a skillet over high heat. Draining the fat is optional. I don't :) Let it cool down.

Pour the 3 cans of tomatoes into your crockpot. Blend thoroughly with a handheld blender (Or in a blender and then put them in the crockpot.

Add the fish sauce. Now, this is important: I don't actually measure the exact amount, this is totally eyeballed. So add and taste slowly. It doesn't have to be salty right away, remember, you can always add more after.

Then add in the meat and the rest of the herbs. Set your crockpot on low for 6 hours.

Now go finish up your holidays shopping, because THAT will not do itself.

Hugs & kisses cookies

I'm having one of those times, you know... bloggers' block. I've literally been twiddling my thumbs for days now to come up with something interesting to say, and I've got nothing. Nada. Niente.

*sigh*

Good thing the pictures speak for themselves, *PHEW!*

 XOXO or Tic-tac-toe, they all taste delightful!!!

I've seen these checkerboard cookies for years, and have meant to make them for a while, but well, pretty much procrastinated til now. They're the type of cookies that you make for people you really REALLY love (Yes, keep reminding yourself of the love when you're kneading, rolling and cutting the dough, it will all be worth it in the end, LOL!!! )

Lemon sugar cookies:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon oil (omit if you don't have any)
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups flour

Cream butter and add sugar. Blend in egg, lemon juice, lemon oil, salt and flour. Roll dough into a block or ball and chill until firm.

Chocolate sugar cookies:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tsp vanilla
  
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups flour

Cream butter and add sugar. Blend in egg, vanilla, salt, cocoa powder and flour. Roll dough into a block or ball and chill until firm.

When you're ready, roll the two dough out to your desired thickness (I went with an approximate of 1/2 inch thick) Baking Obsession made a really great diagram of how to stack the dough strips to make the cookies, so I'm not gonna sketch the same one because hers is already too awesome.

I will though, make one to show you another method if you want the quick checkerboard version instead :) (without the wrapping on the outside) The red lines are cut lines. After step two, refrigerate the block again until firm before moving onto step three.

Of course, if you lose patience with all the rolling, measuring, cutting, re-refrigerate, etc, just bring out your favorite cookie cutters and skip all the steps...

Once the cookies are all cut, put them back in the fridge, on a lined baking tray until firm again. Heat oven to 375*F and bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. They shouldn't brown :) (Well, I'm talking about the lemon part obviously!)

Pour yourself a glass of milk, sit back and enjoy the goodies. I really like the contrast of the lemon against the chocolate and I hope you will too. Happy baking and share these hugs and kisses ;) 

THE best cinnamon chocolate chip cookies

Seriously...

There are tons of recipes out there for the best chocolate chip cookies and I don't claim to have tried them all, but the ones that I have, were always missing one thing or another. The one thing that they all had in common, was that they WOULD NOT FLATTEN! The pictures would show so, but not the result!!! *sigh*

Now, don't get me wrong, the taste was never an issue, but for me, the perfect chocolate chip cookie means a flat yummy buttery chocolatey cookie that is crunchy on the outside but chewy on the inside.

FLAT.

It's important that the cookies are flat. NOT by me flattening them before baking, no no! Flat, by melting and spreading all on their own.

Well, THESE cookies are. They spread and flattened all on their own like the big cool kids do. And they are GOO-OO-OO-OOD!!!!! *drool*

Make them, I PROMISE you, scout honor, that this is the last recipe that you'll ever need.

Chocolate cinnamon chip cookies (makes 46 three-inches cookies)
(from original recipe of The Silver Palate)

• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) softened butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips    
• 1/2 cup cinnamon chips (I used Hershey's) 

Heat oven to 350 degrees & line your cookie sheet with parchment papers or use a silpat if you have. Cream butter and both sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Sift dry ingredients together and stir in, mixing thoroughly. Add chocolate chips & cinnamon chips to batter and form cookies by using a small scoop. I used one of 1 & 1/2 inch diameter.

Make sure to space them out on the sheet. About 2-3 inches between them. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Let cool on sheet before transferring them onto rack to cool completely.  

Share them or not, I won't tell ;) Enjoy!!! 

 

Martha's Savory Fall stew

Did you know that the word "fall" might actually have everything to do with the fact that things fall during the season? Really!!!! And oh boy, do they fall, EVER, all puns intented!!!!!*sigh*

Fall is pretty, but like everything else, it has its ups and downs. And lately, it's been just the perfect excuse for indulging in comfort food. So bring on the squash and let's get it going!!! Such beautiful shades of orange, red and yellow everywhere. I love them on and off the trees. And, in my cooking pots. Such colorful goodness in the belly... Fall Harvest here I come! (Thanks to Martha)

Savory Fall stew

Martha Stewart Living, November 1996 - serve 4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 ounces hot Italian sausage, cut into small chunks (I used half spicy & half mild)
• 12 cipollini onions (pearl onions can be substituted), peeled
• 1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
• 3 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken stock, skimmed of fat
• 1/2-ounce bundle of fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, or oregano
• 2 1/2-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch-long sticks
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (I omit this for lack of, at the store)
• 12 brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add sausage, and cook, stirring until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Remove sausage with slotted spoon, and set aside. (It will break into small pieces during cooking)

Discard all but 2 tablespoons rendered fat, then raise heat to medium high, add onions, and cook, stirring, until golden, 5 to 6 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, and herbs; simmer over medium heat until liquid starts to thicken, 20 to 25 minutes. Add sausage, squash, carrots, parsnips, and fennel; cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add brussels sprouts, and cook, covered, about 5 minutes more. Remove cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid thickens, 10 to 15 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

It tastes best shared with good company, so you can cook this a few hours ahead of your dinner party (I doubled the recipe for 8-10 servings) and then put the pot on low heat to keep warm for about 30 minutes before serving. In fact, we had leftover several days later and it was just as delicious.

Chase away your autumn blues and welcome the fall festive :)

"Heisenberg" salad dressing

Don't let the image of this simpleton fool you... The dressing on it, will make you addicted to salads.
Now, I do realize that is quite a statement to make, but I'm just THAT confident. 

Make this and you will thank me!

(For those of you who are wondering who Heisenberg is and why does he have anything to do with my salad, it's a TV series I've just started watching, and there is top notch crystal meth involved... I'm not promoting drugs, I'm just saying the salad dressing is addictive like meth... not that I would know what that is like LOL!!! But you get the point! *exhale*)

Very simple:

• 1 part soy sauce
• 2 parts balsamic vinegar
• 4 parts olive oil
• a bunch of mint leaves, washed and chopped thinly (a good 10-15 leaves for every 1/4 cup of dressing)
• french shallots, minced (one small one for every 1/4 cup of dressing)

Mix everything together until well blended and let sit for 15 minutes or so.

Assemble you salad mix and make sure you add fresh Italian parsley (I made mine simple: lettuce, chopped tomatoes and parsley)

Toss salad with a few spoons of dressing (mix it well before) Let sit for another 15 minutes or so. Now, see??? It's frigging delicious!!!!!

P.S: I ate that whole bowl for dinner. I still want more.