Tortilla Bread Pudding

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
6 ounces cured chorizo sausage, finely chopped
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups whole milk
4 large flour tortillas (about 9 inches), ground into coarse crumbs
Salt and pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish. Using a food processor, puree 1 cup corn.

2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 cup corn and cook until the corn begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chorizo.

3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, pureed corn and tortilla crumbs. Add the onion-chorizo mixture and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and bake until set and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes; let sit for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the scallions.

Comments:
A pretty easy dish to throw together. I used whole wheat tortillas, which I can never find in a large size, so I just used 6 medium ones and it seemed to work ok. Both Adam and I liked this one a lot.

P.S. Oh my God, I just typed "Gorilla Bread Pudding" up there as the title and almost posted it. Where did that come from? I must be more tired than I thought...

Farro Mac & Cheese

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
2 cups farro, rinsed
4 slices bacon
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large saucepan of boiling, lightly salted water, cook the farro, undisturbed, until tender, 20 to 25 minutes; drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes; drain on paper towels. Crumble and reserve.

3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth; cook until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in half of the cheese until smooth, about 3 minutes.

4. In a large bowl, combine the cooked farro, three-quarters of the bacon, the cheese sauce and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Spread evenly in a greased 9-by- 13-inch baking dish; sprinkle the remaining cheese and bacon on top. Bake until the cheese is melted and golden, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Comments:
I know, another slightly cat-puke-looking dish, but I promise you it tastes better than it looks!

So, farro. Let me tell you, it was quite an effort to get this grain, and I'm really not even sure we ended up with the right stuff. According to Wikipedia, it's kind of debated as to what "farro" really is, so I suppose as long as we got kind of close it's not a huge deal. That said, this is what I found after stopping at two grocery stores and three bulk stores:



This dish takes a little longer than your average mac and cheese since the grain requires more pre-cooking than a pasta would. The grain itself doesn't have much of a taste and even after 20 minutes or boiling and another 30 in the oven it still has a crunch. The bacon permeates the entire dish giving it a smoky flavor. Overall, a wonderful combo.

Grilled Cheddar-Apple Sandwiches

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
8 ounces cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
1 granny smith apple, cored and thinly sliced
8 slices bread

Directions:
Divide the cheese and apple slices among 4 bread slices, then top with the remaining 4 bread slices. In a large skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat; add the sandwiches and cook, turning once, until golden-brown, about 5 minutes.

Comments:
Totally simple, made even easier by skipping the accompanying parsnip soup and using a panini press. Oh, and we also added turkey. Perfect for those nights you come home from work after a long day and just want to fall into bed the second you get through the door but are then greeted by hungry cats and a hungry husband. *sigh*

Oven-Roasted Turkey

Based on a recipe from Recipezaar.com



Ingredients:
1 8- to 10-pound turkey, thawed with giblets and neck removed
4 sprigs rosemary
4 sprigs thyme
4 sprigs sage
1 lemon, halved
1 apple, halved
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (or to taste)

Directions:
Wash the turkey and pat it dry. Place all of the herbs, all the butter, half the lemon and half the apple into the body cavity. Place the other half of lemon and apple into the neck cavity. Truss the turkey with kitchen string or dental floss. Rub canola oil all over the turkey and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Cover the turkey loosely with foil.

Roast in a 325 degree oven for 2 1/4 hours. Remove foil. Continue roasting 30-45 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thigh reads 180 degrees. Remove from oven, cover with foil, and let stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

Comments:



I never really saw the big hullabaloo about cooking a whole turkey. Yes, it takes some time, but it's kind of hard to mess up. Anyway, combined a couple "recipes" to get some flavor and time ideas. It turned out quite well, I think. Then Adam took the leftovers, tried to make jerky from them, and turned them into turkey pellets. Ha!

Weekly Menu 3/27 through 4/2

My goodness, the menu last week got ignored a lot with me working long hours and various other unexpected occurrences. This week is going to be nuts again, but hopefully I've planned things better.

Saturday 3/27 - Tortilla Bread Pudding

Sunday 3/28 - My dad and Cheryl are coming up so we'll probably go out somewhere.

Monday 3/29 - Smokin' Chicken Burgers

Tuesday 3/30 - Mini Cheeseburgers

Wednesday 3/31 - Leftovers

Thursday 4/1 - Flatbread with Pancetta, Mozarella, and Asparagus

Friday 4/2 - Hot & Sour Soup with Tofu

"Favorite" Meat Loaf

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground round
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, drained (such as Contadina)
3 (1-ounce) slices reduced-calorie whole wheat bread, torn into small pieces
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium Worcestershire sauce
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chili sauce
1 tablespoon water

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion, celery, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes or until tender.

3. Combine onion mixture, ground round, and next 6 ingredients in a bowl; stir well. Shape meat mixture into a 9 x 5-inch loaf; place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Combine chili sauce and water; brush over loaf. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer registers 160°. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Comments:
This dish was really good. The tomatoes in the meat mixture along with the onion and celery really keep it nice and moist. And let me tell you my favorite ingredient lately? Thai chili sauce. This stuff is AMAZING. It's spicy, but not too over the top, given you don't eat it off a spoon straight out of the jar. I'll definitely keep this in rotation, although with its hour cooking time, it might get relegated to weekends only.

Santa Fe Turkey Skillet

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
2 (1/2-pound) turkey tenderloins, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
Cooking spray
8 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10-ounce) package frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions:
1. Combine turkey and chili powder, tossing until turkey is coated. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add turkey, and sauté 5 minutes or until done. Remove turkey from skillet; set aside.

2. Coat skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add green onions and garlic to skillet; sauté 2 minutes. Add beans and next 4 ingredients; cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes or until mixture is thoroughly heated.

3. Add turkey and tomatoes to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thoroughly heated.

Comments:
I liked this a lot but Adam thought it could use more spice. I used ground turkey instead of tenderloins and a regular tomato rather than cherry ones. It had a good mixture of flavors, textures, and colors. Might even be better with some cheese on top...

Maple Country Style Ribs

From allrecipes.com



Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds country style pork ribs
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 dash ground black pepper

Directions:
Combine ribs, maple syrup, soy sauce, minced onion, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, garlic powder and pepper in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 7 to 9 hours.

Comments:
These were kind of disappointing. There was not a lot of flavor at all. I'm not sure where it all went since I'm positive I added all the ingredients. Not the best ribs we've had, but not terrible. Probably a one-timer though.

Weekly Menu 3/20 through 3/26

Saturday 3/20 - Meatloaf

Sunday 3/21 - I've got a whole turkey defrosting that I'll be cooking

Monday 3/22 - Leftovers - I'm guessing something with turkey...

Tuesday 3/23 - Farro Mac & Cheese

Wednesday 3/24 - Tortilla Bread Pudding

Thursday 3/25 - Grilled Cheddar-Apple Sandwiches

Friday 3/26 - Louisiana Catfish with Okra and Corn (and Happy Birthday, Catherine!)

Alaskan Cod and Shrimp with Tomato

From allrecipes.com



Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
5 large tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound Alaskan cod
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt to taste
1 tablespoon dried oregano

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir the garlic in the oil until golden brown; add the tomatoes and mix well until juicy; stir in 1 teaspoon oregano. Lie the cod and shrimp into the mixture; season with salt; cover and simmer 3 minutes. Flip the cod and season again with salt and 1 tablespoon oregano; re-cover and cook another 3 minutes. Remove the cover and allow to cook until the juice evaporates slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.

Comments:
I had every intention of eating the fish part of this one. I tried a corner and was done. I'm sorry, I just don't like fish. At all. Adam liked it though.

Spring Onion and Chicken Stir-Fry

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
8 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta (I used rice noodles)
2 teaspoons chili oil
4 chicken breast tenders, halved
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 cup sliced green onions (about 4)
1 1/2 cups fresh bean sprouts

Directions:
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain well.

Add oil to a 10-inch nonstick skillet, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken; stir-fry 5 minutes or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Combine broth and next 3 ingredients, and stir well with a whisk.

Add green onions to pan; stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Return chicken to pan. Stir in broth mixture, drained pasta, and bean sprouts.

Comments:
This was kind of blah. I'm not sure why, since there's a lot of different things going on in the dish. It wasn't bad, just not a powerhouse of flavor. Probably won't try this one again.

Beer-Cooked Chicken

From allrecipes.com



Ingredients:
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. To Marinate: Pour 1/2 of the beer into a nonporous glass dish or bowl. Add chicken breasts, toss to coat, cover dish and refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute for 5 to 10 minutes or until cooked; remove from skillet and reserve, keeping warm.

3. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in skillet over medium high heat and add chicken. Saute 5 to 6 minutes each side or until cooked through and juices run clear. Reduce heat to low, pour remaining beer over chicken and add reserved mushrooms. Cover skillet and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Comments:
I screwed this one up a little. I didn't read the whole recipe and so I dumped the beer "marinade" before I realized I was suppose to add it to the pan later on. Whoops! I just threw in some chicken stock instead. It seemed to turn out alright. I'm sure it didn't give the dish the same flavor, but it worked. Just my luck that I'd used our last bottle of beer to marinate the chicken. *sigh*

Turkey Sauté with Cranberry-Port Sauce

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds turkey breast slices
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray
1 (16-ounce) can whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/4 cup port wine
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Directions:
1. Sprinkle turkey with pepper and salt. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add half of turkey slices; cook 5 minutes or until browned on both sides, turning once. Remove from skillet, and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining turkey.

2. Add cranberry sauce, wine, and vinegar to skillet; bring to a boil. Return turkey to skillet; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 3 minutes, basting turkey with sauce

Comments:
This picture looks kind of unappetizing, but this was really good, I promise. The tartness of the cranberries and vinegar, the richness of the wine, the smooth turkey. Wonderful and really quick to throw together too.

Spicy Jerk Chicken Kebabs with Bell Peppers and Pineapple

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
4 whole cloves
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
8 garlic cloves
3 large shallots, peeled and cut in half
1 (3-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño pepper, halved and seeded
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups (1-inch) cubed pineapple (about 1 medium)
1 1/2 cups (1-inch) pieces red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 1/2 cups (1-inch) pieces green bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray

Directions:
Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add first 3 ingredients to pan; cook for 1 minute or until lightly toasted and fragrant.

Place spices, brown sugar, and next 9 ingredients (through jalapeño) in a blender; process until smooth. Combine spice mixture and chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 2 hours, turning occasionally.

Prepare grill.

Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade. Thread chicken, pineapple, and bell peppers alternately onto each of 8 (12-inch) skewers. Brush reserved marinade onto pineapple and bell peppers. Sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Place kebabs on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 8 minutes or until chicken is done.

Comments:
These were very good. They're spicy, but not too spicy. There's definitely some kick from the jalapeno and pepper, but I could handle it. It helps that the pineapple and peppers have such a light, sweet taste to offset the heat. I'd make this again. We're going to look for some more metal skewers though because the wood ones broke in half when I took the stuff off of them. Yikes!

Weekly Menu 3/13 through 3/19

Saturday 3/13 - We're going to a wedding/reception

Sunday 3/14 - Stuffed Chicken

Monday 3/15 - Maple Country-Style Ribs

Tuesday 3/16 - Adam's on his own - my monthly meeting night

Wednesday 3/17 - Santa Fe Turkey Skillet

Thursday 3/18 - Tenderloin Steaks on the grill

Friday 3/19 - Spinach, Blue Cheese, Pecan, and Cranberry Wraps

Rosemary-Dijon Roast Pork with Autumn Fruit Compote

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
For the pork
1 (2 1/2-lb.) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

For the fruit
4 (3") fresh rosemary sprigs
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 Bartlett pears, peeled and sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup fresh cranberries

Directions:
Roast Pork
Pat pork roast dry with paper towels. Sprinkle or rub roast with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Brown pork roast on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Place roast on a rack in a lightly greased roasting pan.

Combine mustard and 2 Tbsp. rosemary; spread onto browned pork.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45 to 55 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in center of roast registers 155°. Cover with aluminum foil, and let stand 10 minutes or until thermometer registers 160° before slicing.

Fruit Compote
Place rosemary and crushed peppercorns in a small square of cheesecloth; tie to secure. Place cheesecloth bag, orange juice, and next 6 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 8 minutes or until apple and pear are almost tender. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature. Remove and discard cheesecloth.

Comments:
Obviously I went with thick-cut pork chops rather than a roast. I couldn't find any small roasts and didn't want a ton of leftovers. Not being a pork enthusiast, I only ate half of one chop. It was ok, but nothing to yell from the rooftops about. The fruit compote was wonderful. I couldn't find fresh cranberries so I used Craisins instead. I'm thinking this probably made it a bit sweeter than it should have been, but it was still good. And I even ate the raisins.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

From All Recipes.com



Ingredients:
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Comments:
Another not so great to look at dish. This looked just fine when I took it out of the oven, but then it all fell apart when I put it on the plate. Oh well. I didn't eat this, but I'm told it was good.

Bread Crust Zucchini Quiche

From All Recipes.com



Ingredients:
3 slices whole wheat bread
1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 cups sliced zucchini
1 large tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Cut bread slices in half diagonally, and arrange around edge of 9-inch pie plate.

2. In a medium skillet, melt butter and saute zucchini until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add tomato and oregano, and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the flour, and spoon mixture into center of the bread-lined pie plate.

3. In a bowl, mix the cottage cheese, eggs, yogurt, and 1/2 the Parmesan cheese. Spoon this mixture over the vegetables in the pie plate, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until firm in center.

Comments:
This was good, but I didn't even bother to take a picture of it when it was cut because it was so runny. Adam thinks it was the fault of the cottage cheese since the eggs were cooked through. In any case, good flavor, bad presentation.

Weekly Menu 3/6 through 3/12

We played "menu roulette" this week. I had printed out about 20 recipes from Cooking Light and allrecipes.com and I spread them out on the floor and had Adam randomly pick them. About halfway through one of our cats, JC, decided to get in on the action. The last two recipes were chosen by him attacking the sheets of paper. :-)

Saturday 3/6 - Rosemary-Dijon Roast Pork with Autumn Fruit Compote

Sunday 3/7 - Spicy Jerk Chicken Kebabs with Bell Peppers and Pineapple

Monday 3/8 - Turkey Saute with Cranberry-Port Sauce

Tuesday 3/9 - Beer Cooked Chicken

Wednesday 3/10 - Spring Onion and Chicken Stir-Fry

Thursday 3/11 - Out - It's Adam's birthday!

Friday 3/12 - Alaskan Cod and Shrimp with Fresh Tomato

Sloppy Joes

From All Recipes.com



Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
3/4 cup ketchup
3 teaspoons brown sugar
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and green pepper; drain off liquids.
2. Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, and brown sugar; mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Comments:
We made these sloppy joes using Arnold sandwich thins rather than regular rolls. It worked, kind of. Since they're so flat a lot of the filling fell out, although I suppose that's why they're call "sloppy." Anywho, perhaps not the best plan. The filling itself was very good. The 30 minutes it spends simmering really concentrate all the flavors and kind of caramelize the meat a little.

Angel's Pasta

From All Recipes.com



Ingredients:
8 ounces angel hair pasta
1 tablespoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 zucchini, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
3 tomatoes, chopped
12 leaves fresh basil
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Pour in oil and saute garlic until golden. Stir in zucchini, salt and pepper. Saute 2 minutes, then mix in tomato and cook a few minutes more. Chop basil and add to vegetables right before mixing with pasta.
3. Combine pasta and vegetables. Serve topped with mozzarella.

Comments:
This was another pretty easy recipe. I can never time things so the pasta and accompaniments are done at the same time though. Grrr. Nice, light dinner. I tend to forget how much I love zucchini when I don't have it for awhile.

Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin

From All Recipes.com



Ingredients:
1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3/4 cup red wine
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Place pork tenderloin in a slow cooker with the contents of the soup packet. Pour water, wine, and soy sauce over the top, turning the pork to coat. Carefully spread garlic over the pork, leaving as much on top of the roast during cooking as possible. Sprinkle with pepper, cover, and cook on low setting for 4 hours. Serve with cooking liquid on the side as au jus.

Comments:
Hey, that picture looks different! Did we get new dishes (and a new countertop?) Well, no. This was Monday's dinner and since I was working late and going straight from work to bell choir practice Adam took the crockpot over to his parents' house and had dinner with them. He brought the camera along and snapped a photo for me. I didn't eat this at all, but I'm told it was wonderful.

Beef Bulgogi

From All Recipes.com



Ingredients:
1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced
5 tablespoons soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Place the beef in a shallow dish. Combine soy sauce, sugar, green onion, garlic, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and ground black pepper in a small bowl. Pour over beef. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.

2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil the grate.

3. Quickly grill beef on hot grill until slightly charred and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Comments:
I was surprised by how much I liked this. I'm not usually one for steak in any form, but the marinade (I prepped it about 6 hours before we cooked it) was wonderful and had phenomenal flavor. It's so simple and uses such basic ingredients. Fabulous.

Jerky Chicken

From All Recipes.com



Ingredients:
1 teaspoon onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 habanero pepper, sliced
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch strips

Directions:
1. Combine the onion, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, thyme, sesame oil, garlic, allspice and habanero pepper in the container of a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Place the chicken into a large resealable bag, and pour in 3/4 of the sauce. Squeeze out excess air, and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

2. Preheat your oven's broiler.

3. Remove chicken from bag, and discard marinade. Broil chicken for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once to ensure even cooking. Heat remaining sauce in a small pan, and pour over chicken when serving.

Comments:
Not sure why this is called "Jerky Chicken." From the recipe's little blurb I'm guessing it was supposed to be like Caribbean Jerk flavors. The habanero definitely gives it some kick. Be careful with the broiling though. I had mine on "high" and it took about 3 minutes for the residual marinade to start burning. The chicken was done in like 5 minutes. Perhaps "low" would be advised next time. :-)