Teriyaki Chicken and Mushroom Salad

So today is Mother’s Day and I am home. Instead of having a huge dinner or party, my mom just wanted something simple and since today is her day that is exactly what I did but with a twist. (I will do a separate post for salad later)

Ingredients for Chicken

1. one yellow onion chopped
2. pack of drumsticks (5 piece)
3. ginger root (thinly sliced as much as you want but remember ginger has a very powerful taste)
4. 1/2 lemon (freshly squeezed juice)
5. fresh flat leaf parsley
6. sliced baby bella mushrooms (handful)
7. 1 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
8. brown sugar

Directions

• Clean drumstick and put in a big Tupperware bowl
• In a glass or any mixing bowl pour teriyaki sauce
• slice 1 lemon and squeeze on or both slices in the bowl. I personally used 1/2
• if you have jarred garlic use a table spoon  if not then dice 4 cloves of garlic
• add slice onions and parsley
• lastly add brown sugar and mix ingredients thoroughly
• pour in the tupperwar bowl with the chicken and let marinate in the fridge for 24 hours
• remember to poke ate the drumsticks with a fork all over so the sauce can really seep in and be absorbed
• when ready to cook set over to 350 degrees and cook for an hour

Goat or Chicken Korma

Congrats to me I am finally out of my slump! Or at least my boyfriend is because here is what we have been craving and we finally got his mom’s recipe to do it. Call it an early b-day gift to me and a belated one…

this version I had goat instead of chicken

for him. This would be perfect for you new couples just wanting to do something special with each other for Valentines Day. So spice up your life. By the way this recipe is not cheap unless you just happen to have the ingredients around. Go to a local Indian store because you won’t find most of it (fresh) in the International aisle at a supermarket.

Ingredients

• yellow onions
• 1 bell pepper
• 1 lb goat or 3lb chicken thighs
• Garam Masala
• tomatoes
• Cumin powder
• Coriander powder
• ginger and garlic paste or if you have a mortar and pestle just make your own by smashing the two together into a thick paste
• red chili powder
• dry bay leaves
• 4 dried red chilies
• cumin seeds (yes you need both seeds and powder)
• mustard seeds
• plain yogurt (VIP!!!!! so substitutions)
• cilantro (garnish)
• canola oil
• salt and black pepper

What to do!

Don’s be overwhelmed with the ingredients but prep time is 20 min. and cooking time should be 40 min.

1. wash chicken or goat and let sit aside in a bowl. Don’t worry about bones if you have a goat because that is what gives flavor
2. slice onions, Julienne the Bell Peppers and dice the tomatoes
3. you need a large open pan or 12 inch non stick skillet so the water vapor can escape and add enough oil to cover the pan.
4. in the oil (hot) add a pinch of cumin seeds, dried red chilies, 2 to 3 dry bay leaves
5. add in the onions first and let carmalized
6. add in tomatoes and let cook all the way
7. add salt, black pepper, one spoon full of coriander powder
8. add the goat or chicken and let saute
9. add more coriander powder, salt, 1 spoonful of garam Masala , and 1-2 spoonfuls of red chili powder (depending on how spicy you want it)
10. put in a little bit of ginger and garlic paste
11. let chicken and goat simmer with the ingredients and after completely cooked add half a cup of yogurt and mix
12. let it sit for a couple of min.
13. add in bell peppers and cilantro and simmer for a couple of min.
14. then serve (up to 6 servings)

You can eat it with Nan or roti. This is super delicious and you have plenty more to take to lunch the next day. I hope you all enjoy.

sliced onions, chili pepper, bay leafs, and cumin seeds and mustard seeds

In A Slump

Ok I need ideas of what to cook. I have been stuffed from free food from my mom and my boyfriend and need to start cooking for myself between classes and work. Just send some ideas so I can be inspired to cook for you again. Thank you.

Turkey Burger for the Beef Lovers with Asparagus

Ok so I usually like my burger the all American style of big beef. But for Thanksgiving i gave turkey burgers a try. Yes I have had Turkey burgers before but I never really appreciated it until i was put on a college budget and only having my friends to spend it with. Not like I am complaining because I am still thankful

Ingredients

• pepper jack cheese
• garlic
• ginger
• jalapenos (2)
• soy sauce
• one to two eggs
• 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey (makes 6 burgers)
•  onions
• Worcestershire sauce
• bell pepper
• olive oil

What to do

1. chop one onion and bell pepper into medium size chunks that can be mixed into burger
2. finely chop the garlic and ginger and add into mixing bowl along with the bell pepper and onion
3. cut pepper jack cheese into small chunks and and add into mixing bowl
4. drizzle soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and olive oil and mix gently with a spoon to not crush the cheese.
5. saute or grill the jalapenos and dice into small cubes and add into the mixing bowl.
6. then crack and egg into bowl and mix in the ground turkey with your hands gently until evenly mixed with the ingredients.
7. form small patties with the palm of your hand being the measurement and set on grill until cooked and flip to cook on both sides.

Now I messed up on putting on the burger on the grill because i just sort of slapped them on their because I was afraid of the fire and it made it difficult to scrape off the grill and keep the burgers in tact . Just be careful about that.

Herbed Fish and sauteed potatoes (Indian Style)

Ok so for Good Friday my boyfriend and I really wanted to celebrate my faith with something traditional with a twist. Naturally we wanted fresh fish and were on a hunt all morning for a decent fish market. Finally we found one that fit our college budget but the catch was we had scale and gut the fish ourselves, which I am very proud of for my first attempt.

Ingredients for fish

1. 2 mullets
2.  extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3. thyme
4. rosemary
5. garlic
6. ginger
7. 2 potatoes
8. coriander powder (find at an international or Indian store)
9. cummin powder
10. salt
11. onion

Ingredients for potatoes

1. Potatoes
2. mustered seeds
3. garlic/ginger paste
4. onions
5. potatoes
6. turmeric powder

What to do with the Fish

• after you have gutted, scaled and cut off the head of the fish; make even slits on both sides of the fish at 2 inches apart at a 45 degree angle.
• use a mortel and pestel and smash together garlic, ginger first and then add in thyme and rosemary.
• In mixing bowl add in EVOO, cumin, and coriander powder and mix in the mashed ginger, garlic, rosemary, thyme mixture. and mix by hand.
• Take two potatoes and shave then cut into thick slices. Do not make too thin because it’s purpose is to absorb some of the oil in the fish to bake just right. It will also add extra flavor to the potatoes and onions for a filler.
• rub the fish with the mix in the bowl inside, outside, and in the slits of the fish…all over basically. Don’t be shy to get dirty.
• Lay potatoes in the base and then lay the fish.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and leave it in for 15 min. then flip both fish carefully so that it is still whole and cook for an additional 15 min.

Now for those extra potatoes

• take a non stick pan and use more than enough to coat the pan.
• when the pan is extra hot put in mustard seeds and when you hear them popping put in the onion and cook until they START carmalizing
• Add in the ginger/garlic paste and cook for about a min.
• Mix in cummen, corriander poweder, tumeric powder
• add potatoes and mix and cover and let cook until potatoes are done.
• Turn down to medium heat when everything is added in.
• time may vary for when it is done but it should average to about 15 -20 min.

Both dishes should be prepared at the same time. and if you want to eat with your hands warm up some roti for a min.  Yum and happy Good Friday .

after ingredients are all mixed in

If this doesn't put a ring on it nothing will. It's just that good.

Find the mustard

Can you find the spicy mustard in the condiment drawer lol.

Spagettie Night

Keeping it simple with my boyfriend and his best friend. Sometimes simple is the best thing you can do on a college budget, and it’s even better when you have to give in to the bromance and feed two hungry guys.

Ingredients

• Classico Vodka Sauce
• Pack of cheap shrimp
• pack of sliced mushrooms
• onions
• garlic
• cilantro
• ginger
• butter
• linguine

What to do

1. boil water and add some salt to make sure the pasta doesn’t stick
2. in a non stick pan (close to when the pasta is tender) melt butter and put in the shrimp and cook until pink
3. dice together cilantro, onions ginger and garlic and add to the cooked shrimp.
4. then pour in the desired amount of vodka sauce into the pan.
5. Drain pasta and add pasta to the sauce
6. stir thoroughly together and serve

Can also add garlic bread by taking regular french bread and adding butter and garlic then put in oven for 15 min. 

Dirty School Girl

So Best drink ever last night and I don’t even know why I didn’t get on this before but it is called a dirty girl scout

you need….

1. Shot glasses

2. spoon

3. chocolate topping that you would use on ice cream

4. peppermint schnapps.

So you pour the chocolate on the spoon and you taste a little then take a shot of schnapps and finish the rest of the chocolate. So fun to do in groups or with that special someone but yes it was addictingly sweet  so please be careful with how many shots you take.

Korean cook out

My roomate is awesome and cruel at the same time. There was an international dinner at the Korean Christian Church (dont know the denomination) hosted for all the international students. Even though I asked her to bring me food back, because I think Korean food is fabulous, and instead she sent me picks of it.

College Campus of Disgust

So most college campus food is disgusting and no one generally wants to eat and tell but today because I was so hungry i was forced to eat this monstrosoty. Yes to some it may look delicious and generally i wouldn’t be picky. However, there is something to be said about misleading food. The salad was not fresh, there was a piece of hair in my peas, and the chicken was dry. Oh and I didn’t see the hair until last so don’t think I saw the hair and kept eating. I haven’t had this much trouble and fear in what I ate since boarding school when the cafeteria made an urgent announcement saying please don’t eat the rice crispy treats because there is pieces of metal in them and also the brownies….ughh I think I am going to be sick (throw up).