Pad Thai

1 (12 ounce) package rice noodles
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-sized pieces (or for vegetarians, I use a bag of frozen Asian-style vegetables instead of chicken)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/8 tablespoon crushed red pepper
2 cups bean sprouts
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
3 green onions, chopped
1 lemon, cut into wedges


Directions:
1. Soak rice noodles in cold water 30 to 50 minutes, or until soft. Drain, and set aside.
2. Heat butter in a wok or large heavy skillet. Sauté chicken (vegetables) until browned.  Remove, and set aside. 

3. Heat oil in wok over medium-high heat. Crack eggs into hot oil, and cook until firm. Stir in chicken (vegetables), and cook for 5 minutes. 

4. Add softened noodles, and vinegar, fish sauce, sugar and red pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. Mix while cooking, until noodles are tender. Add bean sprouts, and mix for 3 minutes.

Recipe credit: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pad-thai-2/detail.aspx

Marinated and Grilled Salmon

I'm not a big fish eater, but I do love this marinated fish recipe.  It is the perfect mixture of sweet and salty and tastes delicious when served with mashed potatoes.  

Ingredients: 

1 - 1/2 pounds salmon fillets
lemon pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
salt to taste
1/3 Cup Soy Sauce
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Water
1/4 Vegetable Oil

Directions:
1. Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper, garlic powder, and salt.

2. In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and vegetable oil until sugar is dissolved. Place fish in a large resealable plastic bag with the soy sauce mixture, seal, and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

3. Preheat grill for medium heat.
4. Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.


Recipe Credit: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-salmon-i/detail.aspx

Roasted Vegetables

This is one of my new favorite things to do.  I learned this trick from a friend: buy a lot of vegetable you've never really eaten and roast them all together.  It is amazing.  This is a great way to eat vegetable that you wouldn't normally try.  I don't think I had ever eaten a brussel sprout and I had probably not ever heard of a parsnip before this.

Recipe for Roasted Vegetables

Note: These directions are for the roasted vegetable in the picture above, please add or subtract things as you feel necessary.  I have made several varieties of vegetables, and they are always good.

Ingredients:
Brussel Sprouts
Parsnips
Beets
Carrots
Onions
Artichokes
Garlic

Directions:
1. Cut up all vegetables into bite-sized pieces
2. Put in large pan with 2-4 Tbsp olive oil
3. Add any spices you like (for example, pepper, lemon pepper, salt, oregano, basil, etc.)
4. Bake for 1 hour in 375 degree oven, or until soft all the way through and as blackened as you prefer.

Recipe Credit:
Nicki!

Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

This breakfast cake is absolutely amazing.  It is rich, thick, creamy, and a little fruity.  Delicious.

Recipe for Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

Ingredients:
½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon
7/8 cup* + 1 tablespoon sugar**
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour (set aside 1/4 cup of this to toss with the blueberries)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup buttermilk***

* 7/8 cup = 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
** This 1 tablespoon is for sprinkling on top
*** To make homemade buttermilk, place 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup. Fill cup with milk until it reaches the 1-cup line. Let stand for five minutes.

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cream butter with lemon zest and 7/8 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy.
2. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with ¼ cup of flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk. Fold in the blueberries.
4. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan (or something similar) with butter or coat with non-stick spray. Spread batter into pan. Sprinkle batter with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 35 minutes. Check with a toothpick for doneness. If necessary, return pan to oven for a couple of more minutes. (Note: Baking for as long as 10 minutes more might be necessary.) Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Credit:
http://cookbook-recipes.org/buttermilk-blueberry-breakfast-cake/

Tofu and Broccolini Pad See Ew

Yes, that's right. I attempted another type of Thai food. It turned out pretty good. I will be making it again.

Recipe for Tofu and Broccolini Pad See Ew

Ingredients
1 (14-ounce) package dried wide rice noodles
14 ounces firm tofu, drained and cut into large chunks
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 pound broccolini, sliced on the bias into 1-inch-long pieces
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 medium garlic cloves, sliced paper thin
2 large eggs

Directions

1. Place the noodles in a large heatproof bowl and cover with hot tap water. Soak until loose and pliable, about 30 minutes. Separate the noodles by hand and drain; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, place the tofu cubes on a paper-towel-lined plate; set aside. Combine the soy sauce, 1/4 cup of the water, and brown sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Heat the remaining 1/4 cup of water in a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat until simmering. Add the broccolini, cover with a tightfitting lid, and cook until just beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Remove the lid and cook, stirring often, until the water has evaporated and the broccolini is just tender when pierced with a knife, about 2 minutes more. Remove the broccolini to a plate and set aside.
4. Return the pan to medium-high heat, add the oil, and heat until shimmering. Add the reserved tofu and sauté, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides (be careful—the oil will splatter), about 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic, and cook until just beginning to color, about 15 seconds. Add the reserved soy sauce mixture, noodles, and broccolini and cook, tossing gently, until the noodles are soft, warmed through, and coated with sauce, about 4 minutes.
6. Push the noodle mixture to one side of the pan, add the eggs, and scramble until they begin to set, about 30 seconds. Let the eggs cook undisturbed until solid, about 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and toss to evenly combine all the ingredients. Serve immediately.

Recipe Credit:

http://www.chow.com/recipes/28028-tofu-and-broccolini-pad-see-ew

Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe ever. I think what makes them so perfect is that they are baked on parchment paper. It is an important step, so don't skip out on it! Also - when I take them out of the oven, I'm always questioning whether or not they are done, but they will continue to cook for a few minutes and toughen up, so when in doubt, take them out early.

Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened
½ cup sugar
1½ cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. coarse sea salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. baking powder
2¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 360 degrees. 

2. Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until it is nice and fluffy (approx. 3 minutes on medium-high speed). 

3. Add both eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes. 

4. Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour until cookie batter is fully incorporated. 

5. Finally add chocolate chips until well distributed. The cookie batter should be somewhat thick. 

6. Drop about 2 tablespoons of dough or use a medium cookie scoop and plop the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 

7. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are nice and golden brown. Remove from heat and allow the cookies to stay on the cookie sheet for an additional 2 minutes. Pick up the parchment paper with the cookies still on top and transfer to a cool non-porous surface. Allow the cookies to cool on the paper for at least 3 minutes before serving.

Recipe Credit: 

http://savorysweetlife.com/2009/10/alices-chocolate-chip-cookie-recipe/

Vegetable Lasagna II

This is a special family recipe that originated with my sister-in-law, Amanda.  I think that she made it for us once, and we all loved it!  Now the recipe is a staple in our house.  It is pretty fail-proof.  My only comment about this lasagna recipe is that it is very dependent on the sauce that you use.  All pasta sauces taste different, so use a good sauce that you like.  Thanks for the recipe, Amanda!

Recipe for Vegetable Lasagna II (with Spinach) 

Ingredients:
1/2 lb lasagna (12 full noodles)
2 jars pasta sauce
16 oz. of ricotta or cottage cheese
1 pkg frozen, chopped spinach thawed and drained (or about 4 large handfuls of fresh spinach)
1 lb+ of mozzarella
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten

Directions:
1. Boil water. Add lasagna and cook until el dente.  Remove lasagna from water. 

2. In a bowl, combine half the mozzarella, parmesan cheese, eggs, spinach and ricotta cheese. 

3. Layer in a greased 15 x 9 pan sauce, lasagna, sauce, spinach mix, mozzarella, lasagna, sauce, repeat.  4. Cover with foil, bake 45 mins at 350. 

5. Uncover, top with remaining mozzarella and bake another 15 minutes. 

6. Let stand for 10 mins before serving.

Recipe Credit: 

my wonderful sister-in-law, Amanda