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photoblogged:

Sweet & Sticky Baked Chicken Drumsticks

This is the second recipe that I have tried from the Novice Chef Blog.  And this is another recipe that turned out really tasty!  I am excited to go through her blog and find more recipes.  A lot of her recipes are so easy to do and you end up with really tasty results.

The original recipe can be found at the link and is also seen below.  My changes or notes are italicized.

Yield: 6 Drumsticks

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 6 chicken drumsticks, about 1.25 pounds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted (I opted out of this due to an allergy)
• a few pinches chopped fresh parsley (I didn’t have this on hand so I just used cilantro)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and cracked black pepper. Pour into a large ziplock bag and add chicken drumsticks. Shake to coat chicken and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight, giving the bag a shake whenever you think about it.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on top.
3. Remove the chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade, and place the drumsticks on the rack. Bake the drumsticks, on the middle oven rack, for 25 minutes.
4. While the chicken is baking, place the leftover marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Cook over low heat, stirring as needed, for about 15 minutes or until thickened.
5. Remove drumsticks from oven (after first 25 minutes of cooking) and heavily coat with the thickened marinade, using a silicone pastry brush.
6. Return to the oven and cook for 10 more minutes.
7. Coat the drumsticks again and return to oven to cook for 5 more minutes, or until an internal temperate of 160°F is reached.
8. Coat the drumsticks one last time, with any remaining sauce, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and parsley. Serve immediately.
9. Enjoy!

I also made a side of mashed carrots.  I boiled the carrots and then seasoned it with salt, pepper, ginger, garlic, and a squeeze of fresh orange juice. A well rounded meal?  :D  I went back for seconds! 

pbs-food:

Colorful vegetables and succulent beef make this Korean favorite a must-try for anyone who loves Asian cuisine. Made simple through stir-fry, this Japchae recipe traditionally cooks its ingredients separately, but this method is much less time-consuming.

photoblogged:

Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas

So I have a new favorite blog!  The Novice Chef is a new blog that I have found and I absolutely love everything she posts!  I have tried two recipes from her already and both recipes have come out fabulous!  This is the first recipe that I tried and I received a “omg this is so good!”  This sentiment was backed up by a second helping.  :)  That’s always a true indicator of how good a dish is right?

I had to adjust somethings but for the most part this recipe is fabulous as it is! 

The original recipe can be found at the link here and is also listed below.  My changes are italicized. 

Yield: 4 large enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I just boiled chicken tenders beforehand and shredded them)
• 14 ounce can red enchilada sauce
• 1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce (I use Frank’s)
• 5 chopped green onions, divided
• 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 4 large whole wheat tortillas
• 1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese (I didn’t add this)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 glass dish with non-stick spray.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together enchilada sauce and slowly mix in buffalo wing sauce…stopping to taste and adjust as you go. I used a little over 1/3rd a cup wing sauce, but we like it spicy! You as little, or as much as you like. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, toss together shredded chicken, half of the green onions, and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Slowly pour in 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce mixture and stir until combined.
4. Pour 1/2 cup enchilada sauce into the prepared glass baking dish and spread mixture to the edges. Working with one tortilla at at time, fill with 1/4 of the chicken mixture. Roll the tortilla and place it seam-side down in the dish. Once all tortillas are filled, pour the remaining enchilada/buffalo sauce on top of tortillas and add the remaining mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce its bubbling. Immediately after taking enchiladas out of the oven, top with gorgonzola cheese, cilantro, and the remaining onions. Serve immediately!
6. Store any remaining sauce in the fridge for 1-2 weeks, and use if reheating leftover enchiladas.
7. Enjoy!

Funny, I just noticed this recipe was also adapted from How Sweet It Is, which is another one of my favorite blogs!  Great recipe, you all should try it out!

platingitup:

Swedish Tofu-Mushroom-Balls with Shitake Mushroom Sauce, served with Granny Smith Apple, Carrot, and Blood Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad

The secret I’ve found to cooking with tofu is to season and herb the hell out of that stuff.  So, when I think I have enough spices and herbs mixed into it…I add more.  I also rarely measure anything, unless I’m baking.  So here are the ingredients for the dish.  Trust your gut on what you use and the amounts.

How I made the Swedish Tofu-Mushroom-Balls

Let the Ziploc bag be your friend - cube up a block of super firm tofu (didn’t bother to press it) and put that in a gallon ziploc, then add the spices:
The Gourmet Collection Spice Blends of the following -
Roasted Garlic, Rosemary, & Sea Salt
Chicken Salt
Roasted Garlic & Red Pepper

Dried Oregano
Allspice
Nutmeg
Cardamom

Finely chopped flat leaf parsley
And a bit of fresh savory

Mix all of the spices together with the tofu in the Ziploc and massage the bag to infuse the herbs and spices, and to crumble the tofu.  Set aside.

Mince a small shallot and 1 clove of garlic.  Chop some mushrooms in a small dice.  I am growing Shitake mushrooms on my dining room table, so I used a couple of large Shitake mushrooms along with a handful of white mushrooms from the market.  Sauté the shallot and garlic in some butter.  Then add the mushrooms and a bit more butter.  Add a few splashes of white wine as well and cook that off.  Let the mushroom mixture cool a bit and then add it to the tofu mixture bag and mix in.  Next add the chopped flat leaf parsley and savory.  Let the flavors sit with the tofu for a bit.

Dump the tofu-mushroom mixture into a bowl, add 1 organic free-range egg, and a good amount of plain dry bread crumbs (until the right consistency is achieved to make “meatballs”).  Make uniform size balls and refrigerate until ready to cook.

The Sauce

Cook the tofu-mushroom-balls in butter and then set them into the oven to stay warm while you make the sauce.  In the same pan that you’ve fried the “meat” balls in, add a bit more butter and some flour and create a roux.  Slowly pour in heated beef broth (or you could use mushroom broth) and whisk.  Mix in some sour cream to give it a tangy flavor.  Then sauté more Shitake mushrooms and add to the sauce.  Add the meatballs back in and simmer.

The Finished Dish

I served the Swedish Tofu-Mushroom-Balls over organic Yukon gold mashers with organic half-n-half and butter mashed in and seasoned with sea salt and cracked pepper.  I made a salad of finely julienned organic granny smith apples and organic carrots with a blood orange vinaigrette.