Korean Style Short Ribs

Marinating for a few hours in Korean Short Rib Marinade that I mixed together a while ago (see recipe located in an earlier post). I cut the Korean style short ribs into 3 pieces each - I didn't have very many and thought that if the pieces were smaller it would feel like you were eating more.  Everyone left the table satisfied.

I fry these with 2 Tbsp oil in a very hot fry pan, there is lots of spatter because of the marinade.  Brunai (my Thailand student) had these arm warmers (used for winter) that she gave to me to use as arm protectors against all the splatters.  They work fanatastic - prior to this I used clean socks (in need of repair) to cover my hands and arms, not pretty, but practical.  I mostly brown the short ribs to bring out the flavour, since it is beef these can finish cooking in the oven if need be.

If you look at the picture you can see all the splatter on the stove.  As soon

as I am finished frying the beef,  I pour any remaining marinade into the fry pan and pull of any bits of flavour off of the pan, while reducing the liquid a bit.

I then pour the remaining liquid over the cooked short ribs in a baking pan and then wipe up the spatter so it doesn't get cooked onto the stove-top.

I put the cooked short ribs in the oven to keep warm and finish cooking (if needed).

Mushroom were sauteed in a hot fry pan with some unsalted butter.  I kept the heat high so I could avoid the liquid that usually comes out of mushrooms and brown the mushrooms to bring out their fabulous flavour.  I added a small sprinkle of Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Seasoning and about 2 tsp of soy sauce to finish.

The Korean style short ribs were served with fried rice, peas, sauteed mushrooms and Romaine lettuce.

Tim put his plate together to look like this,

and then he did ENJOY!

Cinnamon Buns

Use a sweet dough recipe - make as per directions.  (I will post the recipe I used when I get permission to do so.)

Roll out dough

Spread margarine or butter over it, sprinkle with cinnamon

and then some brown sugar. 

Raisins and nuts can be added, but the girls wanted these ones to be plain.

Roll the dough

To make a cinnamon ring; take the roll and join the ends (pinching) to make a circle.  Make slits in the dough with a sharp knife, and separate the cut dough so you can see the slices.

I put an egg wash over the dough before I let it rise and then baked it. 

I forgot to take a picture of the finished product with the icing.

Of course we cut it before it was iced, and it tasted very good, and like cinnamon bread.

We made another roll (the sweet dough recipe I used made 3 rolls) and placed the slices of filled dough onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Waited for them to rise and then baked.  Powdered sugar drizzle was used for the finish.  (powdered sugar, with a bit of water added to make the icing a drizzle consistency).

NOW ENJOY!

Cole Slaw

Coleslaw made at home instead of taken out of a container always tastes better, at least that is my opinion.

To start, cut 1/4 head of cabbage and grate it.

Then grate a carrot down to half, add the grated carrot the the grated cabbage and eat the rest of the carrot as an appetizer.

Then add:
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp mayonaise
1 Tbsp sour cream
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp mustard (out of the bottle)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper

Mix these ingredients together, and presto - cole slaw.  If you like sweeter cole slaw, you can add a Tbsp of sugar instead of 1 tsp.  To help the flavours blend, prepare this in advance and put in the fridge until ready to use.

I should have made more than one bowl, because there wasn't any left over after supper they all did ENJOY!

Skinny Fried Chicken

Chicken without skin is skinny chicken in my house.  I tend to buy chicken legs with backs attached, these go on sale most often. I remove the skin completely and any visible fat; I then cut off the back portion and cut apart the leg and thigh.  The backs go into the freezer for soup.  The legs and thighs usually go into the freezer in a labelled bag with how many pieces are in the bag.

Today I decided to fry the chicken - remember there is no skin or coating that will absorb any fat.

Add 3 Tbsp of oil to the fry pan, do not add any seasoning yet (besides it would just burn); fry the chicken pieces until golden and crisp, turn as necessary.

This is what was left in the fry pan after I removed the chicken.

Place the chicken close together in a baking dish. I put them as close as I can before I put the seasoning on, then I move them apart if I can.

Sprinkle over top of the chicken: onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, powdered ginger; black pepper and salt.  You can also use cayenne powder if you want spicier chicken. I then use cooking spray (like Pam) and spray over top the the chicken. This will moisten the seasoning sprinkled on top so they won't burn, and it will give it a nice crisp coating.

Hot out of a 400 oven after 20 minutes (depends on how big the pieces are). Let the chicken rest for a few minutes.  I usually see another tablespoon or so of grease in the pan after the oven experience.  Don't cook the chicken too long as they tend to become dry faster because of the lack of skin to keep them moist. 

This meal was served with, fried rice, green beans, cole slaw and cauliflower.

My husband thought there was skin on this chicken when he first tried it.  He was surprised that there was no skin,and didn't miss it and he did ENJOY!

Basa Fillet and Rice

Only one problem with tonight's meal - not enough fish, as per the family, but each had a proper portion and all is well.

I used 2 frozen Basa Fillets, on the bottom of the baking pan I first used a vegetable spray, so the fish wouldn't stick.  I then sprinkled (on the pan) garlic powder, onion powder and Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Seasoning.  Don't use too much Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Seasoning otherwise it may become too salty.

 I placed each Basa fillet on top of the seasoning and sprinkled black pepper and ranch dressing over the top of the Basa.  I baked the prepared Basa in a 350 oven for 30 minutes (remember the Basa was frozen). 

 I put the oven on broil for the last 2-3 minutes to give the whole dish a nice color. 

Broccoli, yes, broccoli and cheese again.  The girls love their broccoli with cheese sauce.  I use a package cheese sauce (just add milk and cook in microwave) and pour over the broccoli.  Notice that the cheese sauce is sticking to the broccoli instead of sliding off.   After I cooked the broccoli for 4 mintues in boiling water, I drained and put back into the pot (no water) and let the water steam off; in other words, I gave the broccoli a little rest before I poured the cheese sauce over it.

Plain white medium grain rice was cooked in the rice cooker (2 cups rice to 2 1/2 cups water) and served plain.  The sauce from the Basa fillet was perfect with the rice.

I also served cream corn to finish the meal.  When I ate this tonight, I was even surprised at how good it tasted and did I ever ENJOY!

Hamburger Mix-Up and Broccoli

It was a very fast food day because,it was too hot to be in the kitchen and much too hot to put the oven on.

I had pre-cooked and seasoned ground beef and froze it into 2 cup portions. I took one of those packages out of the freezer and thawed it in the microwave.

I then placed it into a fry pan and added frozen corn and heated it thoroughly. 

Once the meat and corn was hot, I added the bottled cheese sauce.  I rinsed the jar with 1/3 cup water and added it to the meat mixture, I mixed this together. 

I added the cooked rotini and gently mixed it up together.







The Rotini was cooked as per package directions. 

However, instead of draining the cooking water (which was salted) I used a strainer and removed the pasta from the boiling water. 

The cut up broccoli was then added to the boiling pasta water and cooked for 3 minutes, then the water was drained away. 

The broccoli was put into a serving bowl and one of my favourite seasonings (Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic) was sprinkled over top to finish.

When you have a day that just feels too hot to put the oven on for anything; preparing some foods in advance and freezing it in portions helps get you out of the kitchen faster so you can go relax and ENJOY!

Steak, Mashed Potato and Parsnips

Sirloin Tip Steak, mashed potatoes, gravy, parsnips and a mix of beans and carrots were on the menu today.

The sirlion steak was washed, and the fat was removed.  I never know if the sirlion will be really tender or just tough.  I sprinkle onion powder, garlic powder and Montreal Steak Spice onto the steak pieces only the top side.  Then I pierce each piece with a fork - take out your frustration and stab as much as you need to.  I pierce the harder parts of a steak. 

Then let the steak sit and marinade for 15 or so minutes (you could do this earlier and put it into the fridge until you are ready to cook).  20 minutes before serving, I brown the steaks in a very hot fry pan (about 2 tbsp of oil) starting with the seasoned side up, then I flip an brown the unseasoned side.  After they have a nice colour I put them into a baking dish.

I add some water to the fry pan and deglace the pan (remove all the cooked on bits of flavour) and pour the sauce over the steaks in the baking dish.  I put the oven to 400 and place the steaks inside to finish cooking.

Depending on how thick the steaks are, and how well done you want them to be, I can't guide you on how long they should remain in the oven.  If you are not sure whether the steaks are done to your liking, you can remove them from the oven, make a small cut into one and see how cooked they are. These steaks were left in the oven for 12 minutes (the steaks were 1" thick). After removing from the oven, I let them sit for a few minutes.  We like our steaks medium rare to medium, and I have had success with this method many times.

Mashed potatoes:  I cooked some new crop Red Potatoes in salted water until they were tender.  I drained the water, and mashed them a little; then I added butter (margarine will do), sour cream, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and some milk.  I mashed it all together very well.  I then dumped the mashed potatoes into a serving dish and sprinkled some dill weed onto it for presentation.

Parsnips:   This is a new vegetable for me, I have only cooked with it once before and did not like it very much.  This time was different, and it was good; the girls all liked it.  I started with peeling the parsnips, then cutting them into equal pieces and putting them on to boil in salted water.  I forgot to check how long I cooked them, maybe 20 minutes until they were tender.  I drained the water off and let them sit until for a few minutes (while I did other food prep).  Now, get a fry pan and melt some butter (or margerine) and add the cooked parsnips, don't have the heat too high, you want to allow the parsnips to brown abit, this will bring out the sweetness.  I only added black pepper, but you can add some nutmeg as well.  Then serve.

Mushrooms would have been great with this meal, but I noticed that I just had too many things the same colour. I decided to get some frozen beans and carrots out of the freezer and heat and serve.  Now all you have to do is ENJOY!