Pad Thai

Erin,

I loooove Pad Thai. Who doesn't? D.C. doesn't have too many good Thai restaurants so I don't get to get Pad Thai all that often. Luckily I found this recipe and now whenever I have a craving, I can just whip it up at home :)

Ingredients: 
8 ounces dried, wide and flat rice noodles (I used A Taste of Thai Rice Noodles, found at Whole Foods)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 squirt (about 1/8 teaspoon) Sriracha (optional)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
3 scallions (green onions), white and green parts, separated and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 large eggs, light beaten (optional)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts

Directions: 
1. Soak noodles according to package instructions. Drain.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, and Sriracha.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add eggs and cook, scraping skillet with spatula until eggs are almost set (about 30 seconds). Transfer eggs to a plate.
5. Add noodles, scallion greens, and sauce to skillet. Cook, tossing constantly, until noodles are soft (about 1 minute). Add egg mixture and toss to coat, breaking eggs up gently.
Serve noodles with lime wedges, topped with cilantro and peanuts. 

Southwestern Style Stuffed Peppers

E,

I know I already have a stuffed pepper recipe on here, but this one is quite different. First off, it's vegetarian. Secondly, it's "southwestern style", complete with black beans, rice, cheese, and cilantro. I loved, loved, loved, this dish (found on The Inquiring Chef)

Ingredients:
4 medium bell peppers (I always use red)
1 and ¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked rice (brown or white)
¾ cup black beans
½ tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. salt
¾ cup salsa
½ small onion, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish, if desired)
sour cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Slice the peppers in half (cutting from the stem to the base). Using a spoon, scrape out and discard the core and seeds. Arrange the peppers in a glass baking dish or on a baking sheet so that the hollow side is facing upwards. (They can be arranged close enough to be touching.)
3. Set ¼ cup of the grated cheddar cheese aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup cheese and all of the remaining ingredients, stirring to distribute evenly. Fill the peppers with the rice mixture, packing it gently to compress it inside the peppers.
4. Bake the peppers until the rice starts to turn golden and crisp on the top and the peppers soften, 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of cheese over the peppers and continue baking until the cheese melts, about 2 minutes more.
5. Serve immediately, topped with sour cream (if desired)

The Best M&M Cookies EVER

I don't bake very often, mostly because we aren't big on sweets. The other day, I had a huge craving for dessert and I stumbled upon this recipe. These cookies are fantastic. Like the best cookies ever. I made them on a Saturday afternoon, and I was so impressed with myself, I made them again a few days later. The secret ingredient is vanilla pudding, which gives the cookies a soft, chewy texture.

Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose Gold Medal Flour
3 tablespoons Instant vanilla pudding mix
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1-1 1/2 cups Mini M and M’s (I used regular M&M's)

Directions:1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream your butter and sugars until well combined. Add your egg and vanilla mixing to combine. Add your flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt, stirring to combine. Add chips and m and m’s stirring to combine.
3. With a medium cookie scoop, place dough 1 inch apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked through. Let cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Enjoy!

Baked Buttermilk Chicken

Erin,

There is something so familiar and comforting about this dish. It's a baked chicken dish with gravy and it is absolutely delish. Serve with mashed potatoes and some greens for a perfect Saturday night dish.

Ingredients:

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups buttermilk (you can easily make your own buttermilk, just combine 1 cup of milk with 1 tbl spoon lemon juice and let it sit for 10 minutes, or in this case use 1 1/2 milk and 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup butter 

1 (10 1/2 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.

2. Dip chicken in 1/2 cup of the buttermilk, then roll chicken in a mixture of flour, salt and pepper (and optional cayenne pepper).

3. Melt butter in a 9" x 13" inch pan. (**NOTE: If I am using bone-in chicken, I add a tbsp. of olive oil for the longer baking time. It helps prevent the butter from burning and adds a nice extra flavor.)

4. Place the dredged chicken in the pan, meat-side down.

5. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken over and bake for 15 minutes more.

6. Combine the remaining 1 cup of buttermilk and the cream of mushroom soup.

7. Pour over chicken and bake for 15 minutes more.

8. Remove the chicken, place on a platter, and garnish with parsley. Serve with pan gravy.

Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry

Erin,

I love stir-fry. I feel like I don't make it enough. I love this recipe because it has very few ingredients and it's served with soy sauce. It's a great dish to throw together on a crazy weeknight.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. honey
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 1-inch)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 bunch asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 scallions, chopped
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
(optional) 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds (I just topped mine with a few pinches of sesame seeds)

Directions:

1. In a small bowl or in a ziplock bag, combine soy sauce and honey. Add chicken, and stir to coat. Set in the refrigerator until ready.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus, and saute until cooked, about 5 minutes. Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon, and set aside.

3. Remove chicken from marinade, and add to skillet. Saute until nearly cooked through (with the insides still slightly pink), about 5 minutes. 

4. Then add garlic, scallions, and the reserved marinade to the pan. Saute for an additional 2 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the garlic is fragrant. 

5. Remove from heat and stir in sesame oil. Serve immediately with rice, garnished with sesame seeds if desired.

Rotiserrie Chicken with Peanut Noodles

E,

I love Thai food. Actually, I love peanut sauce. I had a rotisserie chicken in the fridge and I had to make something with it. I stumbled on this recipe (Key Ingredient) for noodles with peanut sauce and I was so excited. It was something new and different from what I am used to cooking, but it was delish.

Ingredients:

½	lb dried linguine
1	tsp plus 1 tbl sesame oil
¼	cup smooth peanut butter
3	tbls water (or to desired consistency)
2	tsp Sriracha sauce or to taste.
3	tbl soy sauce
2	tbl red wine vinegar
¼	cup peanut oil
2	tbl minced garlic
1	tbl minced ginger
3	scallions, chopped
	Chicken from Rotisserie Chicken

Directions:

1. Cook pasta until al dente, and then drain and allow to cool. 2. Add the pasta back to the cooking pot, toss with 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil, and set aside. 3. Mix the remaining ingredients, with the exception of the scallions, together with enough of the water to make a runny, but still fairly thick, dressing and set aside. 4. Remove skin from Rotisserie chicken and shred it and add it, with the chopped scallions, to the pasta pot. 5. Pour the dressing over and toss to combine. Top with chopped peanuts! 6. Let the pasta cool and serve cold or at room temperature. Yum!

Cojita and Corn Tacos with Lime and Mango

E,

Okay, so these sound weird, I realize that. But somehow, it just works. I found this recipe in my monthly Martha Stewart magazine and I was instantly intrigued. I love mangoes and who doesn't love tacos? There is very little cooking involved and since it's served cooled, it's a perfect summer dish! (Serve with mango margaritas. You can thank me later.)

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups fresh corn kernels (from 4 ears)

3 ounces cotija or mild feta cheese, crumbled (2/3 cup)

2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest (from 3 to 4 limes)

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 3 limes)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves (from 1 bunch)

1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions (from 2 scallions)

Coarse salt

12 corn tortillas

2 ripe mangos, peeled, halved, pit removed, and sliced into long, thin pieces
Lime wedges for serving

Directions:

1. Combine corn, cotija, lime zest, lime juice, oil, cayenne, cilantro, and scallions in a bowl. Season with salt.

2. Toast tortillas individually over a gas burner, or spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and broil, turning once to char both sides. Fill with mango slices and corn salad. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing.

Roasted Veggies with Cheese

Erin,

For some reason, I was cravingggg veggies last week. I had pinned a veggie dish from Pinterest (via Budget Bites) a while back and never got around to making it. I was a bit nervous because I wasn't quite sure how it would turn out, but it was SO GOOD. SO SO SO GOOD. It looks really sophisticated but it was so easy. This would be great to serve as a side dish or eat it as the main course like we did.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
1 medium potato
1 medium tomato
1 tsp dried thyme
to taste salt & pepper
1 cup shredded Italian cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic. Saute both in a skillet with olive oil until softened (about five minutes).
2. While the onion and garlic are sauteing, thinly slice the rest of the vegetables.
3. Spray the inside of an 8×8 square baking dish with non-stick spray. Spread the softened onion and garlic in the bottom of the dish. Place the thinly sliced vegetables in the baking dish vertically, in an alternating pattern. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, and thyme.
4. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, top with cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown.

Strawberry Basil Sangria

Erin,

Picture it: Saturday afternoon, watching the baseball game on TV and cuddling with the puppy, and a beer just isn't cutting it. I want something delicious and refreshing and started going through Pinterest to find something. And voila! This was it. Luckily, I had all ingredients on hand. SCORE!

Ingredients:
½ lb strawberries
1 apple
1 ounce fresh basil leaves
1 bottle white wine
½ cup sugar
1 cup club soda
1 cup white grape juice

Directions:
1. Cube strawberries and apple.
2. In a large punch bowl, mix all the ingredients but the soda. mix well until the sugar dissolves.
3. Add the soda.
4. Enjoy!

Marlboro Man Sandwich

E,

So I have previously told you about my obsession with the Pioneer Woman, but what I haven't told you is that now Sam is obsessed with the Pioneer Woman. A few months back, I got fed up with menu planning and preparing every meal with little to no help. Don't get me wrong, Sam willingly helps me chop and dice veggies, but the menu planning is the most annoying part of cooking. Alas! I told Sam that he was in charge of cooking one night every week, (Wednesday is his night). He has to pick his own recipe and is in charge of getting all the ingredients he will need. Anyway, I told him all about PW and now he skims her blog to find inspiration. This week, he picked the Marlboro Man Sandwich and it was a winner (and total man food, Mike would love this!) Recipe serves 4, so cut in half if it's just the two of you. (Again, picture is courtesy of PW)

Ingredients:

1 whole Large (or 2 Small) Onions
2 sticks Butter (lots And Lots Of Butter)
2 pounds (to 3 Pounds) Cube Steak (tenderized Round Steak That's Been Extra Tenderized)
Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1/2 cup (approximately) Worcestershire Sauce
Tabasco Sauce, To Taste
4 whole French or deli Rolls

Directions:

1. Slice onions and cook in 1/4 stick butter until soft and light brown. Remove and set aside.
2. Slice cube steak against the grain. Season with Lawry’s.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons butter over high heat (in same skillet) until melted and beginning to brown. Add meat in single layer. Cook one side until brown, then flip and cook until brown, about a minute on both sides.
4. Add 1/2 cup (at least) Worcestershire sauce, 5 to 6 shakes Tabasco, and 2 tablespoons butter. Add cooked onions. Stir to combine.
5. Butter halved French rolls and brown in skillet (I put them in the oven for 10 minutes and then broiled them for 2)
6. To assemble, lay bottom half of French roll on plate. Place meat mixture, followed by a spoonful of juice from the pan. Top with other half of roll, cut in half, and devour!