Ham & kimchi fried rice

 Being in a half Korean household, my tot loves kimchi. One day, he just stared at me eating some kimchi dish and said he wanted to try it. As it's spicy and salty, I washed it and gave him a tiny little peace and he absolutely loved it! He does have Korean in him. Haha. It's funny, when it comes to food, he's just like me. Not afraid of trying new things and he likes things I like. I remember my mom saying she's so lucky I am a good eater when I was young. I hope I can always say that about my tot. 

Kimchi fried rice is one of the most popular comfort foods for Koreans. If it's just me, I would make it with spicy kimchi with a drop of gochujang(red pepper paste) but since I was sharing with my tot, I thoroughly washed kimchi and cooked it. Sometimes I like that mild flavor. My gosh, just writing and thinking about it makes me hungry.

If you can't handle spicy food but want to try it, washing it is the way to go. It still doesn't lose the flavor but it's mild enough for a 3year old to eat. A lot of times, I have uncured ham at home and I like the flavor combination between kimchi and ham. And the sunny side up egg completes the dish. Even though I love sunny side up eggs, I rarely eat them but when I know the egg is fresh, I sometimes indulge. =)

Flavor/quality of kimchi really determines the taste of the dish. If you want to buy kimchi, any Asian markets will have it and I have seen it at wholefoods and some local supermarket too. BUT you have to be careful if you're buying it from a non Asian supermarket. Not to bash a product or anything but this brand Mother in law's kimchi or something that I got from wholefoods was so bad. It's far from the actual kimchi taste. Usually "mother in laws' dish" reminds you of good food in Korean culture but oh boy that was the worst I've ever had. If you see that brand, do not attempt. Usually ones at Korean/asian markets, you can trust. If you haven't tried yet, buy a small jar and take a little journey to Korean comfort food. =)

Ham & kimchi fried rice

Printable recipe 

*About 2 servings

Ingredients :

2 cups cooked rice

1 cup kimchi

1/4 small onion, diced

1/4 cup ham, diced

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp sesame oil

salt and pepper to taste

2 eggs(optional)

1 scallion, chopped for garnish

Directions :

1. Roughly chop the kimchi. (If you're making non-spicy version like I did, rinse the kimchi thoroughly before chopping)

2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet and saute onion until translucent. Stir in kimchi and ham to it, and saute for 3-4 minutes. 

3. Add cooked rice and sesame oil. Make sunny side up eggs at this point. Stir the rice constantly so that it doesn't stick too much to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

4. Plate the rice and top each bowl with a sunny side up egg and chopped scallion. Serve immediately.

Sausage stuffed spaghetti squash boat

Steve and I love spaghetti squash. Not because it's healthy, we just love the texture. Low in calories is definitely a bonus. We used to eat spaghetti squash dish at least three times a week a few years ago. From yaki squash noodles to the most predictable, tomato sauce spaghetti. Before we got married, as our wedding's coming close, Steve went on a strict diet and spaghetti squash made a huge difference because he LOVES pasta. All the noodles he loved were switched to spaghetti squash. Then somehow we don't cook it as often as before. Well, it's still the first month of the new year. Still not too late to get the spaghetti squash back on the menu! 

This is a very satisfying meal. Even with regular pasta, this is our go to quick meal when we are all out of ideas or simply lazy. With or without tomato sauce, fennel flavor from Italian sausage gives a lot of flavor to the dish. Texture and the look of the squash really doesn't make you miss the actual pasta. Topping with cheese doesn't necessarily make it the healthiest but it's still got less calories than pasta! I am really not a calorie-counting person but it's good enough to make you feel better. My tot always cleans the bowl spotless when I serve him this. He loves the whole squash family just as much as we do, so it's not a surprise. This is..I would say, a 40 minute meal but not all hands on. Not too bad for a week night meal. =)

 Sausage stuffed spaghetti squash boat

Printable recipe 

*About 2-3 servings

Ingredients :

1 spaghetti squash(about 4 lbs)

1 lb Italian sausage, out of casing

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp olive oil

24oz marinara sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup shredded mozzarella

parsley for garnish

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Microwave a whole spaghetti squash for 3 minutes and carefully cut it in half lengthwise. Microwaving makes it so much easier to cut it.

2. Using spray oil, lightly grease a baking sheet and bake spaghetti squash cut sides down for 30-40 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet and saute diced onion and garlic. Add sausage and brown it while crumbling it. When sausage is all cooked and browned, add marinara sauce and simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste

4. When spaghetti squash is done, let it cool to temperature you can handle and carefully scrape it off with a fork, so the flesh comes off like spaghetti. 

5. Stir the "spaghetti" into the sauce. When all mixed, fill the squash shell with it. Top with mozzarella cheese, parsley and pepper. Broil for 7-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and browned a little. Serve immediately. 

Hash brown breakfast pizza

 

Every morning, my tot tells me what he wants for breakfast as if he's been thinking about breakfast all night. He wakes up, runs into my room, lays next to me and while cuddling, he tells me he wants this and that for breakfast. It's so funny. Sometimes he demands something that I don't have time for and I make something else thinking he wouldn't care much. But no...he would eat what I give him but he would talk about the menu of his choice until he gets it. So usually have to make it the next day at least. I have to admit he probably got it from me. When I have cravings, until I actually have whatever it is, I can't stop thinking about it.

And the other day, he asked for pizza for breakfast. He was half joking but I wanted to deliver his "vision" because it actually sounds like fun. And I found hash brown crust breakfast pizza. Its got all the elements he loves. Crispy hash brown crust with ham, eggs and cheese. So yummy and easy to serve and feed. I have not used frozen shredded potato before and I bought a bag of organic shredded potato for the first time. These are great! Works better than home shredded potatoes for hash because it's not moist like home version so I find it easier to make it crispy. And most of all, it's quick. Of course you can shred the potato at home but that needs to sit in a strainer for a little bit to get rid of liquid from potato. You can certainly top it with anything you like and make different versions. My tot absolutely loved it and devoured it. And left the sweetest comment, "Thank you for the yummy breakfast mommy!" That's my fuel that enables me get up and make breakfast even on a lazy morning. =) 

 

Hash brown breakfast pizza

*About 2 servings

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

2 cups shredded potato(frozen or fresh-frozen works better though)

1/4 cup ham, cubed

2 eggs

1/4 cup cheese of your choice

spray oil

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. On a parchment paper lined baking sheet, spray a little oil. Spread shredded potato and press it down. Spray oil on top and bake for 25 minutes. 

2. While hash brown's cooking, scramble eggs and heat cubed ham.

3. When hash brown's done, top it with eggs, ham and cheese. 

4. Put it back in the oven and bake 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted and top browns a little. 

5. Serve immediately. 

*Adapted from the gunny sack.

Sticky garlic chicken

First week back at school for my tot after the break. He seems to be adjusting pretty quickly. But Steve had a work trip for a few days right after staying home for a long time, I didn't find it easy. It was just a few days but I really missed him! During the holidays, our tot kept asking us to take him to a Korean restaurant and as Steve isn't a huge fan of Korean food, he told our tot that he can have Korean food as much as he want when daddy's away. So of course, while he was away, we ate plenty of Korean food. I couldn't believe my tot actually asked for Korean food so often like that. Anyway, the night Steve's coming home, tot ironically asked for one of Steve's favorite chicken dishes. It worked out for everyone. 

When you make the sauce, you should definitely use light soy sauce(low sodium soy sauce). Otherwise sauce will be way too salty. I usually like to eat plain steamed or blanched broccoli with saucy dishes. And that's how it was served as well. I changed the original recipe very slightly. I think balsamic vinegar adds extra sweetness to the dish and I love it. It might sound odd to use it in Asian inspired dish but it really goes nicely with Asian dishes. I sometimes use balsamic vinegar alone for dumplings instead of dumpling sauce. 

This can be made in half hour. You bread the chicken, put them in the oven, make the sauce and prepare the sides. I love dishes like this. Got complex flavor yet, simple to whip up. =)

 Sticky garlic chicken

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut to chicken tender size

1 cup buttermilk(or 1 cup minus 1 Tbsp milk and add 1 Tbsp vinegar)

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

chopped scallion for garnish

Sauce

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground ginger

3 Tbsp honey 

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp chili garlic sauce

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 450F. Soak chicken in the buttermilk. Grease a foil lined baking sheet.

2. Mix panko, cornmeal, olive oil and salt and pepper. Remove chicken one at a time and coat with crumb mixture. Place them on prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, flip and bake another 10 minutes.

3. While Chicken's baking, mix all the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan. Heat it over medium low heat and simmer until slightly thicken. Dunk the chicken in the sauce one at a time and put them back on the baking sheet, bake another 5 minutes. 

4. Either drizzle some sauce on top or dip the chicken in the sauce again and sprinkle scallions. Serve it over rice and steamed vegetable of your choice.

*Recipe slightly changed from Pinch of yum.

Bang bang shrimp taco cups

Have you been to Bonefish grill? Last year, I've been to one near me for the first time and I completely fell in love with their bang bang shrimp. Love the crunch from lightly battered fried shrimp and the sauce is so yummy, it can actually go with anything. And recently I discovered they have bang bang shrimp taco now with crispy wonton wrappers. Man..those are good, every time! A little messy to eat as any tacos but that never stops me. 

Since Steve and I entertain a lot, we thought, why not try that combo in a bite size form so it's easy to serve and eat. But who wants to fry stuff right before guests arrive? We'll go the easy way. 

I've made bang bang shrimp before and it is very easy to just make everything from scratch. Just toss in salt, pepper and starch and fry 'em up. But the time, cleaning up and the smell keeps me from doing that when I'm entertaining. Frozen popcorn shrimp works perfectly in this case. They're surprisingly very crispy. And baked wonton wrappers will make this appetizer look so cute yet so easy to eat. 

I find it interesting how most of the times, guys would just pop the whole thing in as one bite snack but girls, two bites. Either way, they're always popular whenever I serve them. You can make the wonton cups ahead of time. I've made them a day ahead and kept them in an air tight container and it was perfectly fine.

Bang bang shrimp taco cups

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce

2 Tbsp sriracha (less or more to taste)

3/4 cup iceberg lettuce, shredded

12 oz frozen popcorn shrimp  - or fry the shrimp at home

24 wonton wrappers - preferably round  

Spray oil

2 Tbsp chopped scallion or chives for garnish

Directions :

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lay wonton wrappers on a cutting board and grease one side of wonton wrappers lightly using spray oil. Place the wrappers in a mini muffin tin greased side down and press gently so they fit nicely. If using square wrappers, fold the sharp edges.

2. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Let it cool in the tin for a minute or two and transfer to a cooling rack.

3. Heat frozen pop corn shrimp according to package direction. Usually 425F for 10-12 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Mix mayo, Thai chili sauce and sriracha in a bowl. 

5. Toss the shrimp in the sauce. Place shredded lettuce evenly to all wonton cups and top with shrimp. Sprinkle spring onion or chives and serve immediately.

Creamy parmesan and spinach orzo

Long holiday's over and it's almost time to get back to reality. Having Steve home for over a week totally put me in a vacation mode and I think I'll have a hard time getting back to normal life. Especially my tot. He absolutely enjoyed having daddy around all the time. About 50 times a day, he says he loves daddy so much and he's sad when daddy goes to work. Sweet boy. 

We hosted Christmas and cooked a lot of stuff but as most people's Christmas dinner especially involving kids, it was so chaotic by the time food came, I had no chance to take pictures. It's a shame because Steve cooks this killer prime rib every year that I wanted to share. We made a few veggie side dishes and my favorite side was prosciutto wrapped asparagus. Super simple and yummy. 

Anyway, after a few heavy meals over the past week or so, we got to the point where we wanted to whip up something simple and enjoyable. Like our normal week night meal. I've always wanted to try this recipe ever since I first found it. I love every element of this dish. Orzo, spinach and who doesn't love cheese? It's a great side for a nicely grilled steak or chicken. It's somewhat like a marriage of creamed spinach and mac and cheese. I added more spinach than suggested amount to trick myself to think it's healthy. Haha. And we love spinach. If you put cubed grilled chicken or something, it can very well be a quick week night dinner on its own.

 

Creamy Parmesan and spinach orzo

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1 cup orzo pasta

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

1 Tbsp all purpose flour

1 cup milk

1 1/2 - 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions :

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain well.

2. Heat olive oil in a pan and cook garlic and onion until onions are translucent.

3. Add flour and stir until lightly browned about a minute. Whisk in milk and cook while stirring constantly until slightly thickened. About 3-4 minutes.

4. Add spinach to it and cool until just wilted. Stir in Parmesan until melted. Add drained orzo, salt and pepper to taste and toss gently. Serve immediately.

*Recipe from Damn delicious.

Caramelized onion & cranberry chutney

 Christmas is just a few days away. And we truly had a very holiday like weekend last weekend. Had some friends over for dinner, delivered gifts to the family we adopted, went to see Santa and even saw Santa passing by on the fire truck. It's funny how every year, my tot's reaction to Santa is different. Our tradition is to go to Macy's which is the first place he ever saw Santa. The first year, he was not even one and just slept on Santa's lap. So precious. Last year, he didn't cry but he was not too sure and asked me to come sit close to him. Now his third year, he's a pro. As soon as he saw Santa, he ran right up to him and sat on his lap, seemed like he was talking to him. Turned out, he told Santa what he wanted. He loved the experience. Thank goodness for the express pass. If we had to wait for 2 hours like a lot of people, none of us would have enjoyed it. Well..it's never going to happen because without the express pass, we are not going anywhere near Santa land. Haha

And for more festivity, I made some caramelized onion and cranberry chutney. It's great with roasted chicken, pork roast, baked brie, crostini and the list goes on and on. This can be done days ahead as it keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or so. Great homemade condiment to add a little shine to the meal without having to stand by the stove while rest of the chaos going on at holiday meal. 

Caramelized onion & cranberry chutney

Printable recipe 

Ingredients :

1 small onion, roughly chopped

2 Tbsp butter

8 oz cranberries

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme, only the leaves

Directions :

1. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until onions are caramelized, stirring occasionally. It took me a little over 15 minutes with one small onion.

2. Add remaining ingredients. Increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil while stirring so sugar dissolves. 

3. Reduce the heat to medium and cook it down for 8-10 minutes until cranberries pop and mixture reduces slighly, while stirring occasionally. 

4. Cool completely and keep in the fridge up to 2 weeks. Take it out 30 minutes before serving. 

*Adapted from Go bold with butter.