“Open Sesame” ~ Ali Baba

March 2, 2015March 2, 20151 Comment

I always come across Asian recipes I would love to try but I never do.

You know why?

I never have sesame oil and they all call for sesame oil. I never can remember to pick it up at the store.

Guess what?

I bought some sesame oil today!!

Whoot Whoot!

Guess what?

We are having an Asian Inspired dish tonight.

🙂

Korean Beef Bowl

(adapted from Mel’s Kichten Cafe)

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken or beef broth
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger
4 green onions, chopped, divided
Hot, cooked rice

First start your rice or quinoa so that it will be ready about the time you finish up with the beef.

In a large skillet, brown the hambuger meat with 2 of the green onions and garlic. When cooked through, drain excess grease.

In a separate bowl, mix together soy sauce, broth, brown sugar, one green onion, sesame oil, ginger and red pepper flakes.

Stir sauce into beef mixture, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve over warm rice, garnish with remaining green onion.

“Good artists copy, great artists steal.” ~ Pablo Picasso

January 19, 2015January 30, 20152 Comments

One of my latest food obsession is Zoe’s Chicken Protein Plate. Actually, I’m pretty obsessed with anything Zoe’s – I’m sure you have noticed that I use their seasoning in most anything I cook that calls for seasoning. If you don’t have a Zoe’s near you – I am truly sorry. 😦

Luckily, I have one practically in my back yard!

Back to the Protein plate. I’m a carb girl, so this is pretty impressive that I love it so. My mom and I usually get one and split it for lunch a couple times a week. The plate has Zoe’s signature slaw and their grilled chicken and onions. The chicken and onions is pretty self explanatory but I had to Google the copy cat recipe of the slaw. Both SUPER easy.

The ease of picking it up really can not be beat but I wanted to make it for dinner one night and when making it for more than 2 – it is more cost efficient.

Zoe’s Slaw

(copycat recipe)

1 small head of cabbage, thinly sliced
1 (6 ounce) package crumbled feta
6 -7 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar (I used a splash of white vinegar along with this)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-2 teaspoon sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Mix all ingredients except for feta cheese in a large bowl. When well combined, stir in the cheese.

Serve immediately or refrigerate for later use.

-abp

“Cooking is like love, it should be entered with abandon or not at all.” ~ Julia Child

January 6, 2015January 30, 20152 Comments

This is definitely not a recipe that I could be enjoying due to my healthy eating diet I’m on at the moment but if I could eat something that was not so great for me – this would be it!

It’s my most favorite party dip!

I have probably been making this for 15+ years.

It’s one of the very first things that I ever mastered. One reason I remember that is because my Mammaw – the cook of all cooks – loved it! I remember taking this the first time I ever contributed to a family Holiday gathering. She asked for it again the next year.

That made an impression on me.

Gosh, I miss her.

She would totally be surprised to know how much I love to cook now.

So – if you need a great appetizer to take to the Super Bowl later this month – here you go!

Kickin’ Baked Artichoke Dip

2 (21 oz.) jars marinated artichoke hearts
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies, drained
2 tsp. chopped jalapeno (or, to taste)
3 green onions, chopped
3/4 c. mayonnaise
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drain artichokes and roughly chop, combine with remaining ingredients.
Place in small baking dish and cook for 25-30 minutes or until bubbly around the edges and slightly browned.
Serve with Triscuit Thin Crisps (my fav) or your favorite crunchy cracker.

-abp

“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion” ~ Henry David Thoreau

December 5, 2013Leave a comment

Hello, it’s me again! Sorry I have been MIA but if you have read much of my blog lately you know I have a good reason! 🙂

Miss Elizabeth Louise Poore made her debut on Halloween – my little pumpkin baby!!

So, of course, it has been quite hectic around here but I wanted to throw a quick recipe out there for you. It’s a very popular, easy party dip that I’m sure you have seen at a many of parties.

7 Layer Dip

2 cans of refried beans with greens chilies
1 cup sour cream
1 cup guacamole (I used premade)
shredded lettuce
shredded mexi-blend cheese
chopped tomatoes
chopped green onions (green part only)
tortilla chips

Spread beans evenly in a glass dish (9×11). Then layer the remaining indredients and serve with chips.

Now how easy was that?? Easy enough for a mom with a 4 week old to make and take to an Iron Bowl party, but we are not going to talk about that. RTR anyway!

-abp

“Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.” ~ Hippocrates

February 22, 2013February 24, 20132 Comments

I’m so happy that my seafood man “Bayou Joe” (who has been out of commission because of health reasons) is feeling better and back at selling good quality seafood.

That is why I have two shrimp recipes this week. I bought 2 lbs of shrimp and a pound of scallops which I can not wait to use. Anybody have any “can’t live without” scallop recipes??

This recipe is an adapted version of the Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole from the locally famous Winning Seasons cookbook that was put out by the Tuscaloosa Junior League in the 70’s and is a must have for any southern cook.

Shrimp and Wild Rice Casserole

2 Tbs chopped green onions (green part only)
2 Tbs chopped sweet onion
2 Tbs slice mushrooms (I used the kind in the jar because it was all I had but fresh preferably)
2 Tbs butter
1 Tbs worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tbs mustard
A few shakes of hot sauce
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 can cream of mushroom
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 cups cooked wild rice
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
Pam cooking spray

Preheat over to 350º.

Saute pepper, onion and mushrooms in butter until soft.

Mix together onion mixture, worcestershire, mustard, hot sauce, shrimp, soup, salt, pepper, cheese and cooked rice.

Place in prepared (spray with Pam) casserole dish and top with bread crumbs and spray crumbs with Pam (to help brown). Bake for 30-35 minutes or until browned and bubbly. (I had to broil at the end to get it brown enough)

This is very simple meal that can be easily doubled and served to a crowd or it can be a different swing to a weeknight comfort meal.

**Note** – this could also be made with chicken.

Enjoy!

-abp

“If there’s cheesecake in the house, I’ll have some.” – Kelly Ripa

September 5, 2012November 18, 20121 Comment

How was everyone’s Labor Day??

Mine was awesome. Spent the day at the Birmingham Zoo and because of the cloud cover it was very pleasant all day! Then it was off to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner where I showed great restraint when I ordered only a Skinnylicious Caesar Salad! Granted we did order a slice of the new Oreo Dream Extreme Cheesecake!!!

(before you start shaking your finger – it was split 3 ways)

Can you say awesome???

One of the best desserts I’ve ever had.

So – like I said – great day!

It was back to the ol’ grind today and after a trip to the gym (that makes twice in 4 days – thankyouverymuch) I started on dinner.

On the menu tonight is a recipe I adapted from the blog Relative Taste.

It looked interesting, all the ingredients were things I really liked and it seemed fairly simple. Because of this I thought it would work well for a workday dinner and since I had I postponed the Peanut Gallery meal until tonight due to the holiday I thought it would be perfect.

Teriyaki-Ranch Chicken

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
½ cup teriyaki basting sauce
½ cup light Ranch salad dressing
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
3 green onions, chopped
1½ ounces bacon bits

In a bowl mix together teriyaki sauce and ranch. Next salt and pepper your chicken, and using the vegetable oil, lightly brown the chicken on both sides.